Niger’s security forces killed around 12 Boko Haram fighters who had launched an attack in the southeastern region of Bosso, close to the border with Nigeria, the army said in a statement.
Reuters reports army spokesman Colonel Moustapha Ledru to say three members of the security forces were wounded during Friday’s battle, and government forces seized machine guns, rocket propelled grenade launchers and mobile telephones from the Islamist militants.
“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.
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.
