The Benin army is heavily weakened by the invasion from the north

The head of staff for the national guard warned Thursday that Benin’s military has been severely damaged in an attack on one of its best-equipped outposts in the north, where soldiers are attempting to stop Islamist extremists from attacking across the border.

Colonel Faizou Gomina did not provide information on the attack’s location or death toll, but The Democrats, the main opposition party, reported that about 30 troops had been killed in the Alibori department, which borders Burkina Faso and Niger, both of which are riven by insurgency.

“We’ve been dealt a very hard blow,” Gomina stated in a formal statement.

Military officers were urged to enhance their tactics and leadership.

“The position attacked yesterday was one of the strongest and most militarised,” stated him. Section chiefs and officers, wake up. We need to win battles.

As organizations associated with al Qaeda and Islamic State have extended their reach northward from the central Sahel region of West Africa, Benin and its coastal neighbor Togo have both been the target of attacks in recent years.