Boko Haram gunmen kill 12 Niger soldiers

By Alaattin Dogru

DAKAR (AA) - Gunmen from the Boko Haram terrorist organization killed 12 soldiers Wednesday in a pre-dawn raid on a military base in southeastern Niger’s Diffa region, local media reported.

According to the UN, Diffa is home to 120,000 refugees from Nigeria who fled from Boko Haram violence and 110,000 internally displaced people from various parts of Niger.

The report by the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said more than 140 civilians have lost their lives in the same area during Boko Haram attacks.

Located on the border with Nigeria, Diffa has been frequently attacked by Boko Haram since 2015.

In mid-March, a state of emergency in Diffa was extended for three months following a series of attacks by the terrorist group.

More than 20,000 people have been killed since 2009 by Boko Haram, which has existed in Nigeria since the early 2000s.

*Writing by Dilara Hamit in Ankara