Niger sets new offensive against militants after 25 soldiers killed
By REUTERS
Niger will launch a new military offensive against Islamist militants after their latest attack on an army base killed at least 25 soldiers, the defense minister said on Friday.Thursday's attack near the Malian border followed a raid by Islamic State insurgents on another military outpost last month that killed 71 soldiers, the deadliest strike against Nigerien forces for years.Despite the presence of French and American troops, attacks in Niger have risen four-fold over the past year, killing nearly 400 people, according to data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a non-profit research organization."The strategy has to change," Defence Minister Issoufou Katambe told Reuters. "We are not going to stay on the defensive. We will go on the offensive."Katambe did not provide details.
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