Security forces in Niger have eliminated an influential member of the Islamic State group during a military raid in the Tillaberi region, west of the country.
The military campaign in the unstable Tillaberi region, bordering Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso, led to the killing of several insurgents. Insurgents have staged attacks there for years despite the massive deployment of security forces.
The army said it had killed Abdoulaye Souleymane Idouwal, whom it described as “an influential member of the Islamic State,” during a raid on Friday.
On Thursday, nine “terrorists” were killed and 31 arrested in a counterinsurgency operation in the region.
The army added that it “destroyed the means of movement” of the marauders and “seized (their) means of communication.”
Residents in Tillaberi are frequently targeted by terrorists, which often leads to massive displacement. Niger is ruled by military leaders who seized power in a coup last July, citing a deteriorating security situation as justification for the power grab. The military government is also fighting Boko Haram terrorists and their equally deadly collaborators, ISWAP, in other regions.