66 killed in clashes with security forces and Boko Haram Niger

Desk report: At least six people have been killed in clashes between Boko Haram and militants in southern Niger. Nine other army members were injured in the incident. Al Jazeera quoted the country’s defense ministry as saying.The country’s defense ministry said about 100 Boko Haram militants had attacked army checkpoints. At that time 18 army members were killed and nine others were injured. The ministry said on Wednesday that 50 militants had been killed in a counter-attack by Boko Haram. A large quantity of arms and ammunition was recovered from the spot. Boko Haram launched its first offensive in the south in 2009. Violent attacks then spread to neighboring Chad, Cameroon and several other countries. The target of Tuesday’s attack was the town of Barua. Where people who fled after the massacre of rebels in 2015 later returned and took refuge. Authorities, however, say returning people are being given strict security.Niger, which is below the poverty line on the UN Human Development Index, has been repeatedly attacked by rebels from both sides of the border. Three lakh refugees are living in the Defa region of the country.