By ZAGAZOLA MAKAMA

At least 27 Nigerien security personnel were killed in a series of coordinated terrorist attacks on September 10, in Tillaberi Region, security sources have confirmed.

According to preliminary reports, 15 members of the National Guard were killed in an ambush by fighters of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) while pursuing insurgents in the area.

The sources added that the same day, ISGS launched another assault on a Nigerien Armed Forces (FAN) position responsible for security at the Tillaberi airport, killing 12 soldiers.

The combined provisional toll from the two incidents now stands at 27 dead – comprising 15 National Guard and 12 FAN personnel.

The attacks point to the worsening security situation in Niger, as ISGS expands its activities across Tillaberi, Dosso and other vulnerable regions.

Tillaberi, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, has become one of the epicentres of terrorist violence in the Sahel, where both Islamic State and Al-Qaeda affiliates are battling for influence. (Zagazola)