the Attack happened ahead of the French president, Emmanuel Macrons, meeting on security in the region in the next week.
the Islamic State is taking in a statement the blame for an attack on a military base in Niger on Tuesday, where over 70 soldiers were killed. The attack is a serious blow to the efforts to defeat jihadism in Africa’s Sahel region.
the Sahel is a belt which stretches across Africa from the Atlantic ocean in the west to The Red Sea to the east, between the Sahara in the north and savanneområder and Sudan to the south.
Islamic State says that “many hundreds of armed jihadists carried out Tuesday’s attack on a military camp in Niger near the border with Mali.
the Attack on the base in the Inates are the worst in The military in recent times.
the Terrorists bombed the camp with grenades and mortars. Explosions in ammunition and fuel inventories caused the large number of fatalities, says a sikkerhedskilde.
The national television of Niger says that 71 people were killed, and that the other “lacks”. 12 were injured.
The past four months are over 230 soldiers have been killed in Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso. 13 French soldiers were killed in Mali last month, when two helicopters collided during an operation targeting jihadists in the country’s troubled northern parts.
Thousands of civilians and soldiers have been killed during violent conflicts in the great Sahel region. The violence started in Mali in 2012 and has spread to Burkina Faso and Niger.
Analysts point out that the rebels seem to have become more offensive and advanced in recent months.
the Jihadists comes with kalasjnikov-guns, grenades and car bombs used in suicide attacks.
On the other hand, are poorly equipped government forces from Chad, Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, as well as a French force of 4500 men.
It is expected that France will try to push other EU countries to contribute more in the Sahel region during the EU summit in Brussels on Thursday and Friday.
/ritzau/Reuters
