Suspected Boko Haram militants attacked a Niger army base on an island in Lake Chad, leaving many soldiers dead.
Niger military sources told Reuters news agency that hundreds of armed militants riding on motorised canoes attacked the island of Karamga, Southeastern region of Bosso of the country.
“This was the second attempt to capture the town since February by the terrorists,” army sources said, adding that counter-attack to clear the island of militants was ongoing.
The number of casualties was not released, but unnamed officials told the agency that the military might have suffered “heavy losses”.
The country’s defence ministry said in a statement that operations are ongoing with the aid of allies aimed at clearing the island of militants.
Niger along with Chad, Cameroon and Nigeria, all border Lake Chad and are part of a multinational force fighting Boko Haram in and along the borders of northeast.
The United Nations Children Fund said that 800,000 children have been displaced by Boko Haram violence, nearly half the 1.5 million people uprooted by the militants’ campaign.
Lake Chad’s islands, which lie in dense swampland, are an ideal base for mounting surprise attacks on the countries bordering the lake: Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria, Reuters reported.
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