– Nigerian military under fire –
Other clashes broke out some 10 kilometres (six miles) from Niger’s Diffa, which is on the border with Nigeria near a bridge that links the two countries. Its control is essential for transporting troops and supplies.
Little more than a stream, the Komadougou Yobe marks the frontier between Niger and Nigeria, and the water level has recently dropped considerably, making it easy to cross.
A large number of refugees fleeing the violence in Nigeria have also crossed into Diffa.
Yacouba Soumana Gaoh, Diffa’s governor, told local reporters that close to 3,000 of Niger’s troops are massed in groups every 10-15 kilometres (six to nine miles) along the border with Nigeria.
Nigeria’s military has drawn fierce criticism for failing to rein in the insurgents, who have intensified attacks ahead of presidential and parliamentary elections set for February 14.
Nigerian election authorities said they will announce on Saturday whether the polls will be delayed as problems mount with distributing identity cards to 68.8 million registered voters.
The United States called Friday for the elections to be held on time, with Harf saying that Washington was renewing its calls on “all candidates, their supporters and Nigerian citizens to reject election-related violence”.
Earlier this week, Chad launched a ground assault across the frontier to battle the jihadists and recapture the Nigerian town of Gamboru after having bombed the area beforehand. Chad’s army said it had killed more than 200 Boko Haram fighters in the clashes.
In response, Boko Haram launched a bloody counter-attack on the Cameroonian town of Fotokol, killing 19 soldiers and at least 81 civilians.
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