15 soldiers killed in Niger terrorist attack

NIAMEY, July 23 (Xinhua) — Fifteen Nigerien soldiers were killed Monday during a clash with armed terrorist groups at the Bankilare-Tera axis, near the village of Foneyko, western Niger’s Tillabery region.
According to a provisional report announced Tuesday by the Nigerien Ministry of National Defense, another 16 soldiers were injured, three others were missing, and two vehicles were destroyed during the attack.
The ministry declared 21 terrorists were “neutralized” and eight motorcycles destroyed.
“The prompt intervention of reinforcements from Tera forced the enemy to break contact and retreat toward the north,” said the ministry.
These areas are located in the Nigerien region sharing the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, which is a hotbed of insecurity in the far southwest of Niger maintained in recent years by jihadist groups. ■