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Deadly Militant Attack in Niger’s Tahoua Region Claims 41 Soldiers’ Lives

Published by Tope Fakinlede on May 26th, 2025.

Deadly Militant Attack in Niger’s Tahoua Region Claims 41 Soldiers’ Lives

A devastating assault early Saturday morning has left 41 members of Niger’s Defense and Security Forces dead after suspected militants from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (EIGS) targeted a military outpost in Eknewan, located west of Télemces in the Tillia commune of the Tahoua Region.

According to military sources, the attack unfolded just before dawn on May 25 and lasted nearly three hours. The attackers temporarily seized control of the base, destroying nine vehicles, looting weapons and ammunition, and making off with several military vehicles. Several soldiers remain unaccounted for as search efforts continue.

This incident is one of the most lethal strikes on Nigerien troops in recent times and has prompted a security response aimed at locating missing personnel and recovering stolen assets.

Saturday’s attack occurred less than a year after a similar incident at the same base on September 18, 2024, which resulted in 38 fatalities.

The Tillia area in Tahoua Region continues to be a hotspot for violence, with ongoing threats from armed factions associated with both ISIS andal-Qaeda.