Niger Republic reported the death of 23 soldiers in a surprise attack by terrorists near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali in a western region known for jihadist attacks.
Niger is governed by military leaders who took control in a July coup, citing a deteriorating security situation as reason for taking power.
But extremist violence that had been ongoing for eight years has persisted.
During a security operation in Tillaberi, in the three borders area, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Nigerien soldiers were involved in a conflict, the defence ministry said late Thursday.
They were killed during a “complex ambush”, it said, and “about 30 terrorists had been neutralised”.
The military operations were intended to reassure local residents who were being targeted by armed groups involved in “murders, extortion and cattle rustling”, the ministry said.
The army unit was attacked by over 100 “terrorists” between Teguey and Bankilare using “homemade bombs and suicide vehicles”, it said.
In addition to the 23 soldiers who died, 17 were injured.
– Ending previous connections –
Tillaberi shares a border with Burkina Faso and Mali – also under military rule – in an area troubled by jihadist attacks.
Forces linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State have operated in Tillaberi since 2017 despite a large deployment of anti-jihadist forces.
In January, 22 civilians were killed in an attack on the Tillaberi village of Motogatta, about 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of the capital Niamey.
Niger, one of the world’s poorest nations, had been a key partner of the West in fighting jihadists in the Sahel.
After taking control, the military expelled forces from former colonial power France and, like neighboring Mali and Burkina Faso, has pursued relations with Russia.
The military also announced on Saturday that it was terminating a 2012 agreement with the United States “immediately.”
The United States had built a desert drone base at a cost of $100 million in northern Niger and maintains around 1,000 troops in the West African country.
Earlier this week, it described military connections with Niger as mutually beneficial and stated it was waiting for clarification on the announcement ending cooperation.
Meanwhile, about 16 members of the Nigerian Army were recently surprised and killed in Delta State.
The fallen soldiers, serving with the 181 Amphibious Battalion, were on a peacekeeping mission to quell community clashes in Bomadi Local Government of Delta State when the incident occurred.
