At least 70 killed in suspected militant attacks in Niger-security sources

About 49 villagers were killed and 17 people wounded in thevillage of Tchombangou, said one of the security sources

January 03, 2021 02:54 am | Updated 02:54 am IST - NIAMEY

At least 70 civilians were killedin simultaneous attacks on two villages by suspected Islamistmilitants in Niger, near the border zone with Mali, securitysources said on Saturday.

About 49 villagers were killed and 17 people wounded in thevillage of Tchombangou, said one of the security sources, whorequested anonymity.

A second source, a senior official in Niger's interiorministry who also spoke on condition of anonymity, said thataround 30 other villagers had been killed in the village of Zaroumdareye.

Niger's government was not immediately available to comment.

The West African nation has previously suffered attacks byIslamist militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State. Attacksnear the western border with Mali and Burkina Faso, and thesoutheastern border with Nigeria, killed hundreds of people last year.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.