No fewer than 12 soldiers and a civilian driver have reportedly been killed after suspected fighters of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara ambushed a Nigerien military convoy in the Tahoua Region of the Niger Republic.
Security expert Zagazola Makama, citing sources in a report posted on his X handle on Friday, said the attack occurred on March 11 along the road between Yaya and Tahoua near Bagga village.
The report said the convoy, comprising about 50 personnel drawn from the 42nd Infantry Battalion (BIA) and the Rapid Security Brigade (BSR) of Tahoua, had been deployed as reinforcement following the sabotage of a pipeline in the area by suspected ISGS elements.
Troops were reportedly travelling in a seven-vehicle convoy when they were caught in a complex and coordinated ambush by the insurgents.
The sources said 12 members of the Defence and Security Forces (FDS) were killed in the attack, while a civilian truck driver also lost his life.
It was learnt from the report that one of the soldiers died after being evacuated to a hospital in Tahoua, while the officer leading the mission, a lieutenant, sustained serious injuries after being shot twice in the arm.
Seven other soldiers were still missing at the time of filing the report, while several others sustained injuries during the attack.
