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Niger’s military said on Tuesday (January 24) that it had killed 11 “terrorists” and captured six last week in insurgent areas plagued by militants linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.
Niger’s defense ministry said in a weekly report that weapons had also been seized and more than 130 motorcycles destroyed during operations in the western Tillaberi region, near Burkina Faso.
Tillaberi lies in the vast and volatile “three borders” region between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, and has been attacked by jihadist militants for years.
The West African country has launched an offensive operation against jihadists in the region, recently backed by 250 soldiers from former colonial ruler France.
The anti-jihadist group Niya, which has more than 2,000 personnel deployed in western Niger since February last year, suffered two injuries during the operation, the military said.
The military added that it had dismantled a fuel-trafficking network suspected of supplying armed groups.
Niger faces jihadist insurgency on its western borders with Mali and Burkina Faso, and its southeastern border with Nigeria.
The Sahel region is home to tens of thousands of internally displaced people, as well as refugees from Nigeria, Mali and Burkina Faso.
About 10,000 people from Niger villages near Burkina Faso were forced to move to the town of Terra last November and December, according to the United Nations.
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