NIAMEY
Nigerien security forces had killed 513 Boko Haram militants over the past month after the Nigerian-based group attacked the border town of Bosso, the Interior Ministry has said.
"Since Feb. 6, as many as 513 Boko Haram elements were killed and 347 people suspected of having links with the Nigerian group were arrested, including 132 who were referred to court over terror charges," ministry spokesman Adili Toro Mainassara told a press conference on Tuesday evening.
A total of 24 army and police troops were killed along with one civilian between Feb. 6 and 8, Mainassara added.
The spokesman also asserted that declaring the state of emergency in the border region of Diffa had reduced the threat of Boko Haram attacks due to the total ban on the movement of vehicles and motorcycles from 8pm to 6am.
Niger's government last month decided to extend a state of emergency in its southeastern Diffa region on the border with Nigeria for three months following several attacks by the Boko Haram.
Nigeria and its neighbors – including Niger, Cameroon and Chad – recently launched a joint counter-terrorism campaign endorsed by the African Union and other regional bodies.
