The Benin government declared on Wednesday that During the last week’s attack on the military stations in the W National Park, 54 soldiers died. The incident is responsible for jihadist insurgents linked to the terrorist network of al-Qaeda, writes TASR based on AFP report.
The authorities initially stated that the attack of 17 April claimed eight dead soldiers. On Wednesday, however, government spokesman Wilfried Leandre Houngbedji informed about the increase in the victims. The attack was entered by the group to support Islam and Muslims (GSIM/JIM), which said on Sunday that she had killed 70 soldiers in Benin’s attack. “Although it’s not the 70 … it’s a lot,” He said on Wednesday Houngbedji.
West African Benin and its coastal neighbor Togo have experienced a series of attacks in recent years, as groups connected to the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have expanded their presence in the region. A wave of violence in the area began in 2012 in Mali, when it was occupied by Islamists connected to al-Qaeda. Since then, violence has spread to the neighboring Burkina Faso, Niger and subsequently to the whole Sahel region, and threatens the stability of other countries in the region.
