21 dead in attack in Niger: Ministry of Defense

An armed group killed 20 soldiers and one civilian in jihadist-hit western Niger on Tuesday, the Defense Ministry said, declaring three days of national mourning.

“A coalition of armed terrorist groups” attacked security forces near the village of Tassia, leaving “21 martyrs, including one civilian” and nine injured, the ministry said in a statement on national television.

It said that “several dozen” of the attackers had been killed and that air and ground reinforcements were being deployed to track down the remaining attackers.

A three-day period of national mourning will begin on Wednesday and flags will be flown at half-mast, the ministry said, speaking of the “unwavering determination” of the security forces to “continue this fight for sovereignty”.

Tassia is located in the Tillaberi region on the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, where rebels with links to al-Qaeda and the terrorist militia “Islamic State” have been waging a bloody insurgency for almost a decade.