| Petel Kole attack | |
|---|---|
| Part ofJihadist insurgency in Niger | |
| Location | Petel Kole border outpost,Niger |
| Date | March 17, 2022 |
| Deaths | 21 killed
|
| Injured | 5 |
| Perpetrator |  Islamic State – Sahil Province (per ACLED) |
On March 17, 2022, suspectedIslamic State - Sahel Province militants attacked a bus traveling fromBurkina Faso toTéra, Niger, in the Nigerien village of Petel Kole, killing at least twenty-one people including two Nigerien police officers.
Throughout thejihadist insurgency in Niger, the Burkinabe-Nigerien border, in particular the tripoint area between Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger, has been a hotbed of jihadist violence by groups such as the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (which renamed to IS - Sahel in March 2022).[1] The Petel Kole border post, directly on the border between Burkina Faso and Niger, has seen several attacks by ISGS since the jihadist insurgency spread to Niger.[2] An October 2021 attack killed three Nigerien police officers and wounded several others at Petel Kole.[2]
As the bus reached the border post from Burkina Faso, several attackers on motorcycles drove up to the bus and set fire to it.[3] The bus was carrying dozens of people, and lots of fruits and vegetables at the time.[2] In the attack, nineteen civilians on the bus were killed, and two policemen manning the border post were killed in the fire as well.[4] Two others were killed whenever the truck behind the bus caught fire as well.[2] Five people were injured, including a policemen, and the wounded were sent toNiamey for treatment. Seven people also managed to escape the bus, including four women and three men.[2]
Nigerien security sources claimed to have recaptured the Petel Kole border post after the attack, and deployed reinforcements to the area.[3] TheNigerien Modern Transport Company, which owns the bus that was attacked, announced a halt in bus departures between Niger and Burkina Faso after the attack.[2]