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| Africa North |
| 14 dead in Niger after Islamic militants attack convoy |
| 2019-12-27 |
[Twitter]
Islamic militants on motorcycles killed 14 security force members who were escorting election officials in the West African nation of Niger, the first large attack there since 71 soldiers were killed in a massive ambush earlier this month, authorities said Thursday. The attack took place Wednesday night near Sanam, which is about 125 miles from the capital of Niamey, according to a government statement. Officials from the national electoral commission were in the area to conduct a census before next year's vote. The victims were seven military police officers and seven national guard members, the statement said. Niger has long been vulnerable to Islamic attacks because it shares a border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram insurgents have been carrying out attacks for a decade. But now Niger is increasingly threatened by militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara group, which carried out a 2017 attack that left four U.S. service members dead in Niger. Those same militants who are active along the Niger-Mali border also claimed the unprecedented massacre at the army camp earlier this month that left 71 dead. Related: Niger: 2019-12-26 Seven killed in Nigeria jihadist attack on Christmas Eve Niger: 2019-12-26 AMEN! DefSec Esper: Free up time, money and manpower to put into our top priorities as per National Defense Strategy: China, No. 1; Russia, No. 2 Niger: 2019-12-25 35 civilians killed in double Burkina Faso attack |
| Posted by:3dc |