A police station and a National Guard position were attacked Tuesday in Niger. These attacks are attributed to heavily armed men. According to the authorities, seven policemen and four soldiers were killed. One of these attacks occurred in the “three borders” area, where jihadist groups regularly target civilians and security forces.
According to the authorities, on Tuesday the security forces were the target of two separate attacks, perpetrated by “unidentified armed bandits”, according to the terms of a press release from the Ministry of the Interior.
The first attack occurred in the region of Tillabéri in the west, more precisely, at the Petelkolé police station, on the border with Burkina.
Seven police officers were killed, several others injured, six vehicles were burned. Several shops and sheds in the area were set on fire, indicates the Ministry of the Interior. In March and last October, other attacks carried out by suspected jihadists had already been reported in this very unstable locality.
The second attack targeted a Niger National Guard position in Djado. This happened in the region of Agadez, a desert area close to Libya, and monitored by the American soldiers, who are established in the locality of Dirkou. On Tuesday, four Nigerien soldiers were killed and two vehicles carried away. The authorities do not provide further details and simply indicate that security has been reinforced in this area.