On July 1, 2019 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara militants attacked the mining town of Inates, Tillabéri Region, Niger, killing eighteen Nigerien soldiers.
| July 2019 Inates attack | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of Jihadist insurgency in Niger | |||||||
  July 2019 Inates attack (Niger) | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Niger France United States |
 Islamic State in the Greater Sahara | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
|
18 killed, 4 missing None | 2+ killed | ||||||
Background
editSince the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara became an official province of the Islamic State in 2016, the insurgency between ISGS and the Nigerien government has polarized communities in western Niger's Tillabéri Region.[1] The ISGS, predominantly composed of Fulani fighters, attacked Daoussahak Tuareg villages, prompting Daoussahak and other ethnic minorities in the region to ally themselves with the Mali-based GATIA and Movement for the Salvation of Azawad, themselves allied with the French Operation Barkhane.[1] The alliance temporarily ended ISGS massacres in the area surrounding Inates, although reprisal massacres against Fulani by the Daoussahak and other minorities led many Fulani to join ISGS.[1]
Attack
editThe attack began at 2:30 p.m. when ISGS assaulted a Nigerien military post on the outskirts of the town of Inates with two suicide bombers.[2][3] The explosion partially torched the barracks, and more ISGS fighters on motorcycles arrived and began shooting at the soldiers.[4][2] Nigerien soldiers in the area sounded the alarm, and two French and American jets flew over the area from Niamey shortly after.[3][5] The Nigerien Ministry of Defense stated that the attack was repelled thanks to the air support.[2] The ISGS fighters retreated into Mali, and cleanup operations were launched.[2][3][6]
Aftermath
editThe Nigerien Ministry of Defense announced on July 2 that at least eighteen Nigerien soldiers were killed including officer Lt. A. Wahab Aboubacar. Four other soldiers were missing as well.[7] The allied airstrikes destroyed an ISGS truck and killed several fighters as well.[6][7] The victims of the attack were buried on July 2 in Tillabéri.[7] Another Nigerien security source stated that ten Nigerien vehicles were captured by ISGS, and nine others were set on fire.[3][6]
The Islamic State – West Africa Province (ISWAP), of which ISGS is a part of, claimed responsibility for the attack and stated they killed dozens of Nigerien soldiers and captured several vehicles. In their statement, they claimed only two of their suicide bombers were killed and that the rest of the fighters were alive.[4]
On July 15, a Tuareg leader named Almoubacher Ag Alamjadi was assassinated by ISGS in Inates, two and a half months after the murder of his father.[8] In September 2019, the Nigerien government accused members of the High Council for the Unity of Azawad (HCUA) in complicity with the ISGS.[9][10] An official Nigerien document stated that equipment taken by ISGS from the attack was transported to Tin Fadimata in the Ménaka Region of Mali by HCUA members. The HCUA denied these accusations.[11]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Behind the Jihadist Attack in Niger's Inates | Crisis Group". www.crisisgroup.org. 2019-12-13. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ a b c d "Niger : 18 soldats tués lors de l'attaque d'un camp militaire près de la frontière avec le Mali" (in French). 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ a b c d Reuters (2019-07-02). "Dix-huit soldats nigériens tués près de la ville d'Inates". Challenges (in French). Retrieved 2024-08-14.
{{cite web}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ a b "Niger: l'Etat islamique dans le grand Sahara revendique l'attaque ayant fait 18 morts". Le Figaro (in French). 2019-07-03. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "Niger: importante attaque contre un camp de l'armée dans l'ouest du pays". RFI (in French). 2019-07-01. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ a b c "Attaque au Niger: des opérations de ratissage en cours dans l'Ouest". RFI (in French). 2019-07-02. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ a b c "Insecurite: 18 soldats morts et 4 portes disparus a la suite de l'attaque du camp Inates". ActuNiger. July 2, 2019. Retrieved August 14, 2024.
- ^ "Niger: un chef traditionnel touareg assassiné près de la frontière malienne". RFI (in French). 2019-07-16. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "Mali: le Niger accuse des membres du HCUA de complicité avec les terroristes". RFI (in French). 2019-09-19. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "Crise malienne : le coup de semonce des pays voisins". Le Point (in French). 2019-09-22. Retrieved 2024-08-14.
- ^ "Mali: le HCUA se défend de toute attaque terroriste au Niger". RFI (in French). 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2024-08-14.