NIAMEY: Several people have died in an attack by the jihadist group Boko Haram in southeastern Niger, local sources said on Saturday. "There have been deaths, including police, and also some wounded, in this attack by Boko Haram," an official in Diffa, a region of Niger close to the birthplace of Boko Haram in neighbouring northeastern Nigeria.
The attack by "heavily armed" assailants travelling in a dozen or so vehicles on Friday targeted a military position near Gueskerou in the Diffa region, according to unconfirmed social media posts by residents.
An official from the Diffa governorate and a municipal Gueskerou source confirmed the attack but did not elaborate. "We do not have a precise toll, we are waiting for the military command to make an evaluation," the official said.