Al-Azhar condemns Niger terrorist attack

CAIRO – 17 May 2019: Egypt’s top Islamic institution Al-Azhar condemned on Friday the terrorist attack that targeted an ambush in the border region between Niger and Mali, resulting in the death of 28 soldiers.

Al-Azhar said in a statement that the perpetrators of this terrorist attack were stripped of their humanity, calling for uniting the efforts to eliminate terrorism.

ISIS has said it was behind the ambush but there has been no confirmation of this claim by the authorities.

Militants belonging to affiliates of al-Qaeda are also active in the region.

They are most active in neighboring Mali, where French troops intervened in 2013 to prevent them from advancing on the capital, but they often stage cross-border raids.

Without providing any evidence, the Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for the attack via its news agency Amaq. According to the statement, 40 were killed and injured, although the government has said that the death toll was 28.

On Thursday, Al Azhar strongly condemned a drone attack on two Saudi oil pumping stations on Tuesday in Dawadimi and Afīf cities in Riyadh.

It also called on the international community to intensify efforts aimed to fight all forms of terrorism.