Troops of Niger Republic has repelled Boko Haram attacks in the southeastern town of Diffa after several hours of overnight fighting, witnesses and military sources told the Voice of America (VOA).
Boko Haram sect attacked a prison in neighbouring Niger overnight, hours before Niger’s parliament was due to vote on joining a regional offensive against the militants, witnesses said.
Heavy gunfire rang out as Niger’s army repelled the attack, Boko Haram’s third assault on the border town of Diffa in four days, residents and military sources told Reuters.
Niger’s parliament was set to vote yesterday on a measure authorizing troops to enter Nigeria and join the regional offensive against Boko Haram.
Forces from Chad and Cameroon have already clashed with the Islamist extremist group, which has killed thousands and controls dozens of towns in northeastern Nigeria.
Authorities ordered locals to stay in their homes and mounted roadblocks around the town by late morning. Residents said many had fled.
“It’s now evident that Boko Haram has its cells, its sleeper networks in the town and the region of Diffa,” said a military source there.
It was not immediately clear how many people were killed or wounded, or whether any of the prisoners were freed at press time.
A journalist in Diffa said he saw the bodies of Boko Haram fighters in a hearse despatched by the town hall, but he was unable to count them.
“Some Boko Haram fighters sought to hide in the town. The soldiers are looking for them, weapons at the ready. The army has encircled Diffa,” the journalist said.
A member of the National Guard, which runs prison security, said about 100 suspected Boko Haram militants were held in Niger, but none of them in Diffa.
