Gaya: Two civilians were killed and two others wounded in a suspected terrorist attack Friday on a position of the Nigerien Defense and Security Forces, at the entrance of the town of Gaya in western Niger, the army said Sunday. The civilians were doing road maintenance work when they were attacked by an armed group of about 15 people, the army said in a bulletin.
According to Namibia Press Agency, the bulletin detailed that the armed assailants launched the attack unexpectedly, targeting the civilians who were engaged in road maintenance activities. The attack left two civilians dead and two others injured before security reinforcements could arrive.
“Alerted as soon as the first shots were fired, reinforcements were immediately dispatched to the scene. However, by the time they arrived, the attackers had retreated into neighboring Nigeria,” the bulletin stated. This quick retreat of the attackers into Nigeria highlights the ongoing security challenges faced by Niger due to its proximity to volatile region
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In some of its border regions, Niger has been experiencing frequent attacks by armed groups controlling southern Libya. These include terror groups linked to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and the Boko Haram militant Islamist group, which have been known to exploit the border areas for launching attacks.