12 Boko Haram fighters killed in gun battle in Niger

Security forces in Niger killed around 12 fighters of the terrorist militant group Boko Haram who launched an attack in the southeastern region of Bosso close to the border with Nigeria, according to an army statement on Saturday.

Three members of the security forces were lightly wounded during Friday's battle and government forces captured machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers and mobile telephones from the enemy, said army spokesman Colonel Moustapha Ledru.

"The vigorous reaction of the Defence and Security Forces of Niger put the enemy to flight. Around a dozen terrorists were killed and several dozen others were wounded and carried away by the fleeing attackers," he said on national radio.

It was not possible to verify the casualty figures independently.

Local resident Ibrahim Chetima said townspeople sought shelter in the bush from the fighting, which began at around 5.30 p.m. (1630 GMT) and went on until 8 p.m.

Bosso is part of the Diffa region, which houses many refugees and internally displaced people who have sought to evade Boko Haram violence elsewhere. The region has been targeted numerous times in attacks blamed on the militants.

Boko Haram says its goal is to overthrow the Nigerian government. It has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly shooting attacks and bombings in various parts of the country since the beginning of its militancy in 2009.

An estimated 20,000 people have been killed and more than 2.6 million others made homeless during its reign of terror.

The Takfiri terrorist group has spread its attacks from its traditional stronghold in northeastern Nigeria to the neighboring countries of Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.

The terrorists have pledged allegiance to the Takfiri Daesh terrorist group, which is primarily wreaking havoc in Syria and Iraq.



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