Niger Army Kills 10 Rebels, Destroys Bases, Government Reports

Niger security forces have killed ten rebels of the Niger Movement for Justice (MNJ) and lost five soldiers during a find-and-destroy operation against rebel bases in northern Niger, a government statement said on Tuesday.

The national defense ministry said in the statement that in order to restore order and safety in the Agadez region the security forces carried out operations from 19 to 29 March aimed at “destroying the bases of the armed gangsters located in the Aïr massif.”

The statement said the security forces also captured one prisoner and destroyed military equipment and supplies.

The military offensive was exclusively directed “against the authors of the insecurity, their accomplices and their logistics,” the statement said.

The defense ministry accused the MNJ rebels of using local populations as human shields.

On Sunday, MNJ said on its website that it took the town of Gougaram in northern Niger and burnt four government vehicles and their occupants.

The defence ministry said in Gougaram the MNJ “chose to place landmines when they could not face the moving military column” and the explosions “killed some people.”

Source African Press Agency

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