Gunmen Attack Prison in Niger
Gunman reportedly attacked a prison in Niger this morning, where extremists are being held. According to Niger’s interior and public security minister, Mohamed Bazoum, the gunmen were driven off by security forces.
Koutoukale Prison, where the attack took place, is situated approximately 40 kilometers from Niamey, the capital. There are a number of jihadists being held at this prison, most of which are from Mali.Bazoum stated that at least one attacker blew himself up during the attack.
This attack comes only days after suspected jihadists abducted an American aid worker. The suspects killed two other people during the scuffle, before fleeing with the aid worker toward the Mali border.
Being a landlocked country, Niger is often the victim of threats. Most of these are violent in nature and mainly come from three extremist groups. These groups are Nigeria’s Boko Haram insurgents to the south, al-Qaeda-linked Islamic extremists in Mali to the west, and jihadists in Libya to the north.
