Five civilians, four soldiers and 40 armed attackers were killed Sunday in a clash in Niger’s restive southwest region near the border with Mali.
Niger’s Ministry of Defense in a statement read on public television said around 100 heavily armed “terrorists” riding motorcycles attacked the Tchoma Bangou village, striking around 3 p.m. on Sunday.
The ministry said, its soldiers had seized motorcycles and a cache of weapons, including AK47s and machine guns, from the assailants.
Tchoma Bangou is located in the Tillaberi region, bordering Mali and Burkina Faso, an area known as “the three borders” that has been regularly targeted by jihadist groups.
