Gunmen killed 20 Nigerien soldiers and one civilian in a morning raid on the outskirts of the village of Tassia in the Tillaberi region, western Niger, in the tri-border area.
While announcing three days of national mourning starting on Wednesday, the country’s Ministry of Defence said that the Tuesday 10 AM (local time) ambush left nine other soldiers injured.
Without mentioning any names, the ministry said live on state television that the attack, close to the border with Burkina Faso and Mali, was carried out by a coalition of armed groups.
Further, it said its forces retaliated using live ammunition and, in the operation, killed dozens of the gunmen as others, who are now being tracked using aerial and ground reinforcements, fled the scene.
It was the latest in a series of clashes since the military government came to power after overthrowing the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazoum in a military coup last year.
Therein, Niger is currently ruled by a junta that expelled French and United States forces from the country, with the US Army ordered to leave by September 15 this year.
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