ISIS Claims Responsibility for Killing 89 Nigerian Soldiers in Attack on Army Base

An Islamic State-linked group has claimed responsibility for a Jan. 9 attack on Niger’s military that left at least 89 Nigerien soldiers dead.

Smoke rises in the distance behind an ISIS flag and banner. Marwan Ibrahim/AFP/Getty Images

An Islamic State-linked group has claimed responsibility for a Jan. 9 attack on Niger’s military that left at least 89 Nigerian soldiers dead, according to a statement translated by the SITE Intelligence Group.

Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), which is affiliated to ISIS, said its fighters were responsible for the attack on an army base in the town of Chinagodrar, near the Malian border and about 130 miles (209 kilometers) north of the capital Niamey.