Two leading jihadists from the Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate have been arrested in a joint operation by Niger and French forces, a senior security source said Monday.
The two members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) were captured in western Niger on separate days last week after being “very actively sought”, the source said.
The two were detained in Tillaberi region near the border with jihadist-hit Burkina Faso.
The source named the two as Abu Maryam also known as Zaid, and Sita Ousseini, alias Loukoumane, who is described in search notices as a native of Niger.
They were part of a group of jihadists sought by Burkina Faso for participation or complicity in planning or carrying out “terrorist acts.”
Burkina had offered a reward equivalent to nearly $250,000 for Zaid and more than $291,000 for Loukoumane.
Niger and French soldiers have been conducting joint operations in western Niger for several months, mainly in a border area touching Niger, Burkina and Mali, according to Nigerien military officials.
Niger has accepted 1,500 French soldiers on its soil to bolster its armed forces.
The country, which is one of the world’s poorest, is battling Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) jihadists in the east, and Al-Qaeda and ISGS in the west.
