Niger’s army has raided jihadist-controlled informal mining sites in the country’s west, killing more than a dozen insurgents and seizing material linked to the manufacture of improvised explosive devices, it said.

An army statement said the raids took place last week in the Tagueye locality, near Niger’s western border with Burkina Faso. It said 13 insurgents were killed and one arrested.

“Previously under the control of armed terrorist groups, these sites have been dismantled and systematically rendered inoperative,” said the army statement released over the weekend.

The raids “aimed at drying up the sources of financing for terrorist activities”, it said.

Like Sahel neighbours Mali and Burkina Faso, Niger is battling an insurgency by jihadist groups linked to Al Qaeda and Islamic State that have killed thousands and taken control of villages in its western border and the south.

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