US, French, and Niger Troops Kill 18 ISIS Fighters on Mali Border

Niger DM says slain were behind recent Nigerien ambush

The Nigerien Defense Ministry has issued a statement this week revealing a 10-day joint military operation carried out by their military, along with US and French forces, and carried out on the Niger-Mali border.

The statement claimed that the target was a group of ISIS fighters who were behind a mid-May ambush in which 28 Nigerien soldiers were killed. They were believed to be int he Tongo Tongo region.

Officials say 18 ISIS fighters were killed in the operation, and five others were captured. Of the captives, three are Nigerien, and the nationality of the others is undisclosed.

Officials added there were “no human or material losses” on their side in the operation, and that substantial military equipment which ISIS had taken from them in the mid-May ambush had been recovered.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.