The tragic toll from the terrorist ambush on Nigerien troops in Eknewan has climbed to 64, after six more critically injured soldiers succumbed to their wounds at Niamey Referral Hospital.
The soldiers, part of a unit dispatched to confront a surge in jihadist activity near the Mali border, were ambushed on May 25 in the volatile Tahoua region, a hotspot in the tri-border area haunted by Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP) fighters.
Security sources confirm that despite receiving intensive medical attention, the six soldiers passed away on Thursday, pushing the death toll from the initial 58 to one of the deadliest single-day losses for the Nigerien military in recent months.
The troops had been responding to heightened terrorist activity attributed to ISSP, the Islamic State affiliate entrenched in the Sahel. The Ministry of Defense earlier stated that dozens of insurgents were killed in a swift retaliatory operation backed by airstrikes.
Though the ruling military junta has not released an official update, local sources say national mourning may be declared, alongside escalated counter-insurgency measures across the restive region.
The Eknewan attack underscores the escalating security crisis gripping the Sahel, with Niger’s forces stretched thin across a battlefield where enemies are both elusive and lethal.
@Zagazola Makama
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