A three-week joint operation by Niger and Burkina Faso in their jihadist-hit border area killed around 100 “terrorists” with the loss of two troops, their military chiefs said on Monday.
Operation Taanli 3 was conducted between April 2 and 25 with backing from “surveillance and combat aircraft,” they said in a report.
The operation “neutralized about 100 terrorists,” resulted in at least 40 arrests, destroyed jihadist bases, and seized equipment, they said.
Two soldiers died and two were wounded, they said, without giving their nationalities.
Two of the poorest countries in the world, Niger and Burkina Faso have been battered by a jihadist insurgency launched from neighboring Mali in 2015.
Thousands of people have been killed and hundreds of thousands have fled their homes.
The report was unveiled in the northern Burkinabe town of Dore by David Kabre, Burkina’s army chief, and Salifou Modi, Niger’s chief of staff.
It said that raw materials designed for making explosive devices as well as dozens of fuel containers were seized or destroyed.
“The success of the Taanli operations bears witness to the excellent military cooperation between Burkina Faso and Niger in the fight against terrorism,” the report said.