Soldiers guarding a major Niger-Benin oil pipeline were attacked by unidentified assailants on Wednesday, resulting in the deaths of six soldiers, three security sources said on Thursday. The pipeline itself was not damaged in the attack.
The attack targeted a patrol protecting the pipeline between the villages of Salkam and Tibiri in Niger’s southeastern Dosso region on Wednesday afternoon. This marks the first attack on security forces assigned to protect the pipeline, which stretches nearly 2,000 kilometers (1,243 miles) and is backed by PetroChina.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but jihadist groups linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are known to operate in the area. All three security sources confirmed the death toll of six soldiers.
The Niger-Benin pipeline, officially launched in November, connects Niger’s Agadem oil field to the Benin coast, where crude oil is loaded for export.
Melissa Enoch
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