| Conflict: | Koutougou attack |
| Place: | Koutougou, Niger |
| Partof: | Jihadist insurgency in Niger |
| Date: | August 15, 2023 |
| Result: | Indecisive |
| Combatant1: | Niger |
| Combatant2: | Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin |
| Casualties1: | 17+ killed 20 injured |
| Casualties2: | ~100 killed (per Niger) 50 motorcycles destroyed |
On August 15, 2023, jihadists from Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) ambushed Nigerien soldiers near Koutougou, a village on the border between Niger and Mali. The ambush killed at least seventeen Nigerien soldiers, and was the first major attack by a jihadist group on Nigerien forces since the 2023 Nigerien coup d'état.
On July 26, 2023, disgruntled Nigerien officers led by Abdourahamane Tchiani overthrew the democratically-elected government of Mohamed Bazoum, decrying him for not effectively combatting the jihadist insurgencies in the country by Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal-Muslimin, Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, and Boko Haram.[1] Analysts stated that the coup would allow jihadists to expand even more throughout the tri-border region between Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso.[2] [3]
Following the coup, the Nigerien Army called a portion of its forces back to Niamey, amplifying the threat along the Malian border. Five civilians were killed on August 3 by jihadists in Anzourou, twelve civilians were killed on August 4 near Wabila and Hondobon, five Nigerien national guardsmen were killed on August 9 in Bourkou Boundou, and six national guardsmen were killed on August 13 in Sanam.[4]
The Nigerien Ministry of Defense published the news of the attack on August 16, stated that a convoy of Nigerien forces moving between Boni and Torodi was ambushed by a group of jihadists, killing seventeen soldiers and injuring twenty others.[5] [6] The injured soldiers were taken to hospitals in Niamey for treatment. In the statement, Nigerien officials claimed that over 100 jihadists and 50 motorcycles were killed in reprisal operations.[7]
JNIM claimed responsibility for the ambush on August 18, also corroborating the death toll of seventeen soldiers. JNIM did not publish a toll of their casualties, although they did state they captured a drone and a mortar.[8]