Over 500 Boko Haram combatants killed by Nigerien army

Over 500 Boko Haram fighters have been killed by the Nigerien Defense Forces supported by the Chadian troops between last Friday and Tuesday, eyewitnesses have said.

The eyewitnesses and workers of humanitarian agencies said over 200 decomposing bodies of Boko Haram fighters were seen strewn all over near Kamadougou river which marks the border between Niger and Nigeria, after the first attack on Friday.

It was on Friday that Boko Haram fighters invaded Niger's Bosso locality near the Nigerian border.

However, due to the fire-power of the Nigerien troops supported by Chadian soldiers, majority of the fleeing assailants were gunned down in clashes that lasted for several hours.

Following the islamists' second attempt to attack Niger's Diffa town, the Nigerien army launched an air offensive against the group's bases in the Nigerian towns of Damasak and Doutchi, forcing them to flee from these towns that they had controlled for a long time.

The retaliation, both on the ground and in the air, resulted in heavy losses among the islamists, security sources said.

Despite the heavy losses suffered by Boko Haram, the group has continued to launch attacks in the town of Diffa where the Nigerien government has declared a 15-day state of emergency starting Wednesday.

On Monday, the Nigerien Parliament unanimously adopted a resolution authorizing the government to deploy troops to the Nigerian territory to fight against Boko Haram. Endi