Въоръжените мъже в Западен Нигер убиват 34 войници и рани 14, властите казват

Дакар, Сенегал (AP)-въоръжени мъже, умъртвили 34 бойци и ранили 14 други в Западен Нигер, покрай тристранната граница с Мали и Буркина Фасо, Министерството на защитата съобщи. the ministry said in a statement.

The government said its forces killed dozens of attackers it called “terrorists, ” adding that search operations by land and air were being conduted to find additional assailants.

Niger, along with its neighbors Burkina Faso and Mali, has for more than a decade battled an insurgency fought by jihadi groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and Групата на Ислямска страна.

След военни преврати в трите народи през последните години, ръководещите хунти изгониха френските сили и се насочиха към наемните отделения на Русия за помощ за сигурност. The three countries have vowed to strengthen their cooperation by establishing a new security alliance, the Alliance of Sahel States.

But the security situation in the Sahel, a vast region on the fringes of the Sahara Desert, has significantly worsened since the juntas took power, analysts say, with a record number of attacks and civilians killed by Islamic militants and government forces.