…ministry claims 50 militants neutralised.
Hundreds of Boko Haram militants attacked a military outpost in southern Niger Republic overnight Tuesday, killing 16 soldiers and wounding nine.
The defense ministry said dozens of militants were killed in the ensuing combat.
The ministry also announced that a further 9 soldiers were injured and significant quantities of weapons were taken from the Islamist group.
The incident took place in the country’s south, in the Diffa region which borders Nigeria.
Islamist terrorist groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province have operated from the volatile region for years, carrying out attacks against civilian and military targets. The Boko Haram insurgency, which started in Nigeria in 2009, frequently spills over into other countries.
An attack allegedly carried out by Boko Haram in the country in December, 2020; killed 28 people and 800 homes were burned.
UN figures suggest that at least 36,000 have died since the group launched its terrorist campaign, displacing around 2 million people in Nigeria.