Al Qaeda affiliate kills 15 soldiers in northern Benin near Niger скачать в хорошем качестве

Al Qaeda affiliate kills 15 soldiers in northern Benin near Niger

The Beninese military reported on Thursday, March 5, 2026, that at least 15 of its soldiers were killed by Al Qaeda-linked JNIM fighters during an attack on Wednesday on a military base in the village of Kofonou. Kofonou is in a strategically important security area bordering Niger, Burkina Faso, and Nigeria. Military spokesperson Colonel James Johnson said four soldiers received non-life-threatening injuries during the attack. Immediately after the attack, military aircraft conducted airstrikes on the militants as they retreated, killing at least four of them and destroying their motorcycles. A search operation to track down the assailants is ongoing. As stated by Kajarbi 54, the regional security monitoring network West Africa Maps also reported that the military base was looted and set on fire during the assault. According to Actu Niger, JNIM announced the establishment of an emirate in the region a few weeks ago. Benin faces an escalation in security threats from JNIM and Islamic State-Sahel Province, primarily involving forward operating bases and police stations in the north but the country chooses not to cooperate with Niger and Burkina Faso, which are actively engaged in fighting these jihadists. JNIM killed 54 Beninese soldiers in the same area in April 2025 after the government had deployed 3,000 troops to secure the northern borders for Operation Mirador. Benin has since deployed an additional 5,000 troops to the region. Sources: Benin: 15 soldiers killed and 4 assailants neutralized in a terrorist attack in Kofonou, in the northeast of the country Actu Niger 15 Soldiers Killed in Jihadist Attack on Military Base in Northern Benin Kajarbi 54 Fifteen Soldiers Killed In Jihadist Attack On Benin Republic Army Base People and Power Escalating Conflict: Militants Target Benin's Military Devdiscourse