The Nigerien army on Sunday announced it had conducted a successful raid resulting in the killing of a key member of the Islamic State group.
Abdoulaye Souleymane Idouwal, described as an influential ISIS figure, was reportedly killed during the operation on Friday in the Tillabéri region.
This area forms part of the vast and unstable “three borders” zone shared by Niger, Mali, and Burkina Faso.
In addition to Idouwal’s death, the army reported that nine terrorists were killed and 31 others were arrested during a separate anti-jihadist operation on Thursday in the same region.
The military claimed to have disrupted the attackers’ mobility and confiscated their communication equipment.
The Tillabéri region has been a frequent target of jihadist attacks, leading to significant displacement of civilians.
Niger, currently governed by military leaders who took power in a coup in July, cited the deteriorating security situation as a primary reason for the takeover.
The military government is engaged in combating jihadist groups such as Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in various parts of the country.