Wanzarbé attack
| Wanzarbé attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Niger | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Niger |
 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
5–7 killed 4 injured 1 vehicle destroyed | Unknown | ||||||
On March 6, 2017, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) militants attacked Nigerien forces between Wanzarbe and Yatakala, Niger.
Background
[edit]The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) splintered off from MOJWA in the mid-2010's and became an official Islamic State branch in 2016 with Adnan Abu Walid al-Sahrawi as leader.[1] They launched their first attacks in Niger in October 2016, on the Koutokole prison and possibly in Tazalit.[1] In February 2017, the group attacked Nigerien forces again in Tilwa, in rural Tillabéri Region, killing dozens of Nigerien soldiers.[2] Three days prior to the attack in Wanzarbe, the Nigerien government declared a state of emergency in Tillaberi and Tahoua Region.[3]
Attack
[edit]The attack took place in the morning of March 6, in the same area where three Nigerien gendarmes had been killed a year prior.[4][3] A Nigerien gendarme post in between the villages of Wanzarbe and Yatakala, Tillabéri Region, near the Malian and Burkinabe border.[3] The jihadists were unable to take the outpost, however, and fled.[4][3] The Nigerien army began combing operations in the area after the attack was reported, and French forces launched two planes and three helicopters from Gao.[3]
Initially, Nigerien officials reported that four soldiers were killed in the attack. This toll was revised to five killed an hour later and one vehicle destroyed.[4] However, Voice of America stated that seven soldiers were killed and four were injured.[5] The ISGS claimed responsibility for the attack on January 12, 2018.[6]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) - Mapping armed groups in Mali and the Sahel". ecfr.eu. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Niger: 15 militaires tués lors d'une attaque près de la frontière malienne". RFI (in French). 2017-02-23. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ a b c d e "Niger: quatre gendarmes tués dans une attaque "terroriste"". L'Orient Le Jour. March 6, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2024.
- ^ a b c "Niger: attaque meurtrière contre des gendarmes dans la région de Tillabéri". RFI (in French). 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Au moins sept gendarmes tués dans une attaque au sud-ouest du Niger". Voice of America (in French). 2017-03-06. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
- ^ "Attacks claimed by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS)". MENASTREAM. 2018-06-23. Archived from the original on 2018-06-29. Retrieved 2024-07-12.