Insurgents kill three Nigerian, Nigerien soldiers, injure 12

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Insurgents kill three Nigerian, Nigerien soldiers, injure 12

On Sunday, Islamist fighters carried out attacks in the Northeast that killed three soldiers from Nigeria and Niger, and left at least 12 others injured, Reuters reports.

The troops were part of the Multinational Joint Task Force, which is made up of forces from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria. The MNJTF aims to put an end to the Islamist insurgency that has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and displaced millions more.

According to a Nigerian military source, two soldiers from the MNJTF were killed when their vehicle triggered an improvised explosive device while they were pursuing insurgents in the Arege area of Borno State, the heartland of the insurgency. 10 troops, including the commanding officer, were injured, and two civilians working with the troops were also wounded.

In a separate attack in Arege, a Nigerien soldier was killed when the vehicle he was travelling in detonated another explosive device. The number of wounded soldiers in this attack is not yet known, according to a source with the Nigerien army.

The MNJTF confirmed the attacks in a situation report, however, MNJTF spokesman, Lieutenant Colonel Kamarudeen Adegoke, was not available for comment at the time of reporting.