Al-Qaeda linked terrorists killed 12 soldiers in Nigeria  

RELIGIOUS NEWS AGENCY (REDNA) – At least 12 Nigerian soldiers were killed in an ambush by suspected terrorists in a village in the southwest of Niger.

It is the latest attack since President Mohamed Bazoum was deposed in a military coup.

“Muslim News” reported an operation by the national guard was the target of an ambush Sunday evening in the village of Anzourou in the Tillaberi region, the province’s military governor, Lieut. Desert. Maina Boucar, told national television.

He said an offensive by the national guard “made it possible to inflict a heavy loss on the enemy. Unfortunately, 12 of our soldiers fell” in the battle.

The attack came days after 17 soldiers were killed when gunmen ambushed an army detachment near the town of Koutougou in the Tillaberi region near the border with Burkina Faso.

The military, led by Gen. Abdourahamane Tchiani, the former commander of Niger’s presidential guard, deposed Bazoum on July 26, reportedly over a perceived deterioration of security.

The Tillaberi region faces regular attacks by armed groups with links to the al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS terrorist groups spreading from northern Mali.