Niger's army announced today that it killed ten terrorists, including an Islamic State (IS) leader, and arrested 31 others between Thursday and Saturday in the Tillabéri region, in the west of the country.

Nine of the terrorists were killed during an air control mission carried out in the Nabolé sector, as part of the military operation "Niya" which leads the fight against terrorism on the right bank of the Niger River, according to the latest military operations bulletin issued by the army's Integrated Operations Coordination Center (CICO).

The motorized military patrol, made up of several vehicles, was in the Nabolé sector when it was ambushed on the night of Thursday, June 20, by terrorists who opened “heavy fire” against the military, the bulletin said.

“Thanks to the foresight of our forces, nine attackers were neutralized and 31 others were detained, including one who was injured.”

“Their means of transport were destroyed and their means of communication confiscated, without our ranks being affected.”

During a raid in the same area, on the night of June 21 to 22, the military killed Abdoulaye Souleymane Idouwal, who the army describes as “influential member of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara“, in the village of Gnandawal, located about 20 kilometers from Méhana.

In parallel with these actions, during the same period, the army detained other terrorist elements in the region.

The bulletin reported, in particular, the arrest of around 20 terrorists and accomplices, as well as the seizure of important war materials (weapons, ammunition or mobile phones) and various products (food, fuel or medicines) destined for the groups operating in the area known as “the three borders” (between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali) between 16 and 22 June.

Since 2017, the Tillabéri region, located in this area, has faced a serious security crisis characterized by persistent attacks by terrorist groups.

Niger, ruled by a military junta since July 2023, is home to terrorist groups loyal to Al-Qaida and the Islamic State that carry out recurring attacks against security forces and the civilian population.

According to the Armed Conflict Location And Event Data Project (ACLED), which monitors violence worldwide, between May 2023 and May 2024, 1.460 people were killed in Niger in violent events by non-state groups and 997 by state forces.

Niger is also one of the poorest countries in Africa and ranks 189th (out of 195) on the United Nations Human Development Index, which estimates that 91% of its population is poor.