Al Qaeda-linked militants kill at least 10 soldiers in Niger, sources say

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(Reuters) -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, security sources said on Thursday.

The soldiers were attacked on Wednesday close to the village of Garbougna in the Tillaberi region near the border with Mali and Burkina Faso, the three sources said.

The tri-border region is known as a hub of jihadist activity in West Africa linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.

One source put the death toll at 20 soldiers, while a second said more than a dozen soldiers were killed and a third source said at least 10 had died.

Al Qaeda claimed the attack in Tillaberi, along with others in Mali and Burkina Faso, in a series of statements and photos posted on the website managed by its Sahel media wing Al-Zallaqa. The claim was first reported by the SITE Intelligence Group, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization that tracks online reports by Islamist militants.

A Nigerien government spokesperson did not immediately return a request for comment. Military spokespersons for Mali and Burkina Faso could not be reached for comment.

Niger, one of several West African nations grappling with Islamist insurgencies stemming from Mali over the past 12 years, has seen thousands killed and millions displaced in the conflict. 

(Reporting by Niger newsroom; Writing by Ayen Deng Bior; Editing by Jessica Donati and Andrew Cawthorne)