Militants from the al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM) killed at least 10 soldiers in an attack in western Niger on Wednesday.
The soldiers were ambushed near the village of Garbougna in the Tillaberi region, close to the borders with Mali and Burkina Faso.
The tri-border region is known for jihadist activity linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda. Reports vary, with one source putting the death toll at 20 soldiers, another at more than a dozen, and a third confirming at least 10 fatalities.
Al Qaeda claimed responsibility for the attack, along with others in Mali and Burkina Faso, through its Sahel media wing Al-Zallaqa.
The Nigerien government has not commented on the incident, and military spokespersons for Mali and Burkina Faso were unreachable.
This attack is part of a broader conflict in West Africa, where Islamist insurgencies have killed thousands and displaced millions over the past 12 years.
