Niger Police Officers Killed in Border Jihadist Attack
Last update: March 26, 2026
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Eight officers dead as armed assailants storm Tillaberi checkpoint.
At least eight police officers have been killed after heavily armed jihadists attacked a police post in western Niger near the Mali border, according to local sources.
The assault took place in broad daylight on Wednesday at a checkpoint at the entrance to Tillaberi city, about 100 kilometres from the capital, Niamey. Witnesses said the attackers arrived on dozens of motorcycles and opened fire, killing several officers, including one resident’s family member.
A community official confirmed that eight police officers died in the attack, which has been claimed by the Islamic State group.
Niger’s military authorities have not yet issued a public statement on the incident.
Violence has gripped the Tillaberi region since 2017, with jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and Al Qaeda operating across the area.
The region, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, has become the epicentre of attacks in Niger over the past decade.
Conflict monitoring group ACLED previously described the area as the deadliest region in the central Sahel, noting that civilians are often the main targets. Nearly 1,300 of the 1,939 people killed in violence in Niger last year were in Tillaberi.
Despite the persistent attacks, junta leader Abdourahamane Tiani said in a televised address that security forces had stabilised the situation and remained in control on the ground.
