Niamey – In a major action in the West African country of Niger, more than 280 ‘Boko Haram’ terrorists were killed. The Niger defence ministry informed that at least 200 terrorists were killed in air raids while 87 terrorists in the ground action during army operations in the regions of Lake Chad and Yobe River. It is believed to be Niger’s biggest operation against Boko Haram.

For the last one year, Boko Haram showed signs of its forces augmenting once again. The terrorist organisation consistently launched attacks in Niger, Nigeria and Chad, and even targeted the military bases. During the Boko Haram attacks that were launched in the three countries in 2018, more than 1,000 people including a large number of soldiers were killed. In fact, the Nigerian military had claimed complete victory over Boko Haram after its action in 2018. However, the intensity of the terror outfit’s attacks is observed to have consistently risen after the claim.

Given the developments, the Niger military operation proves significant. On Friday, December 28,  it initiated its counter-terrorism action. Air attacks were carried out over the small islands in Lake Chad and Komadugu Yobe River. After that, the Niger army began ground action and targeted the Boko Haram locations. The ground forces killed nearly 87 terrorists and seized a large stash of arms and ammunition.

Although 200 terrorists were reportedly killed in the Niger’s air attacks, the numbers are expected to increase further. Over the last few months, Boko Haram launched significant attacks on the Nigerian military bases, and it was feared that the terror outfit would target Niger, next. In November, a special meeting of the West African countries was also convened to discuss the matter. During the meet, the Nigerian president had made the sensational claim that Boko Haram was in possession of drones and was using them for surveillance to strike the armed forces.

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