Deadly attack on military base in Niger's Diffa region

Twelve soldiers have been killed in an attack on a military outpost in Niger's Diffa region, scene of recent clashes with jihadist fighters, the country's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.  

The attack by "Boko Haram terrorists" overnight Monday on the Blabrine military base left another 10 soldiers wounded, the ministry said in a statement.

It is not immediately clear how many attackers were killed in the incident, which took place at Niger's Blabrine military base, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) northeast of Diffa town in the remote southeastern region near Lake Chad, where the borders of Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria converge.

Read more: Increased terror attacks in Africa amid coronavirus pandemic

The region of the poor Sahel country borders Nigeria, the birthplace of Boko Haram.

Several violent clashes have pitted the army against Islamist fighters in the region since the start of May. Last week, 75 Boko Haram combatants were killed in the region — both in southeast Niger and across the border in Nigeria. 

Boko Haram's insurgency has so far claimed more than 36,000 lives since it began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009 and displaced nearly two million from their homes.

see/sri (AFP, dpa)

Every evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.