19 Killed in Boko Haram Attack in Niger

At least 19 civilians were killed in a weekend attack by Boko Haram Islamists on three remote islands in Niger with many victims burnt alive, a local lawmaker said.

Sunday's onslaught took place on three islands located on Lake Chad, said ElHadj Aboubacar, a deputy from the town of Bosso in southeastern Niger.

"We have been informed that at least 19 people have died, most of whom were either burnt alive or drowned in the lake," he told AFP.

There has been no official confirmation of the death toll but a private radio station in Niger has reported that two people were killed in a fire after a remote island village was attacked by Boko Haram fighters.

Aboubacar said the drowned victims were mainly women and children who tried to flee on a dugout which sank. He said two people had been shot dead.

A humanitarian source said the death toll was "plausible".

Aboubacar said that according to witnesses, Boko Haram members launched the raid on one island on Sunday evening, fired on locals, pillaged shops and then set a village on fire.

They then attacked two other islands.

A joint military operation involving thousands of Niger and Chadian soldiers is under way in the area.

Lake Chad is a strategic area where the borders of Cameroon, Nigeria, Niger and Chad meet.

All four countries are involved in a regional fight-back against the militants, which has seen the group strike out of its northeastern Nigerian stronghold to attack Chad and Niger.