According to a statement released by the Niger defence ministry, about eleven “gunmen” were killed on Friday by a detachment of the Niger Defence and Security Forces which attacked their base in Tade, north of Ifouane, over 1, 000 Km north of Niamey. A huge quantity of weapons, ammunitions and anti-tan k mines as well as a vehicle that was hijacked by the former head of the Ifouane administrative post were retrieved by the defence and security forces. The army has reported no casuality, the statement noted, adding that the combing operations would continue in order to find and arrest the criminals who managed to escape after being routed. Since February 2007, northern Niger, sharing borders with Algeria, Libya and Chad, has witnessed deadly clashes between the government army and the Touareg rebels.
