Friday, triggering a forceful response from regional
troops who claimed to have killed more than a hundred
of the Islamists.
The clashes in Bosso and Diffa, along the border with
Nigeria, marked yet another expansion of violence
attributed to Boko Haram, but it seemed to have come
at a heavy cost.
Niger's defence minister reported that 109 of the
Islamists were killed, along with four soldiers and a
civilian. Seventeen other troops were wounded.
Chadian forces, who have taken a lead role in battling
Boko Haram in recent days, fought alongside Niger's
troops on Friday. Chad's commander in Niger, General
Yaya Daoud, was also wounded with a gunshot to the
stomach, a security source said.
Niger's Defence Minister Mahamadou Karidjo said calm
had been restored to both Bosso and Diffa.
The clashes in Niger came as regional efforts intensified
to battle Boko Haram, which has waged a six-year
insurgency centred in northeastern Nigeria, where the
Islamists have seized swathes of territory.
The conflict has killed at least 13,000 people and forced
more than a million from their homes since 2009.
Niger announced Thursday that on Monday it would ask
its parliament to approve sending troops to Nigeria to
fight the militants alongside Chadian and Cameroon
soldiers.
The United States condemned the fresh Boko Haram
attacks in "strongest possible terms" and pledged
support for regional forces.
"This unchecked killing must stop," State Department
spokeswoman Marie Harf said. "We continue to provide
support to governments in the region, including through
intelligence sharing and are increasing our support for
these efforts."
US intelligence officials said Friday that while Boko
Haram is flush with cash and weapons after a string of
battlefield advances, the militants could face a tougher
fight with Nigeria's neighbours.
The military intervention of neighbouring powers could
potentially be a "game changer in a positive way," one
intelligence official said.
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