An ambush by armed men in a flashpoint region in military-run Niger last week killed at least 14 soldiers, the country’s defense minister said in a statement, the latest in escalating militant attacks in the West African nation.
The attack took place in the hotspot Tillabéri region on Wednesday, said the statement, broadcast by the state RTN television late Saturday. It followed the deployment of a military unit on the outskirts of Tillabéri, based on intelligence reports of an ongoing robbery there by a gang of armed men riding on motorcycles.
“This attempted theft turned out to be a decoy intended to lure the patrol into an ambush,” said Salifou Mody, the defense minister. He did not name the group suspected in the attack.
Several militant groups that target both civilians and the military operate in Niger, including an Islamic State group affiliate.
The Tillabéri region borders borders Mali and Burkina Faso — two other countries struggling with escalating insurgency — and has been a hotspot for terror attacks over the past decade.
