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Armed police officers in Niger (archive image)
Photo: Arne Immanuel Bänsch / dpa
There are repeated bloody attacks in Niger.
According to government reports, 15 soldiers have now been killed and seven others injured in the country's southwestern Niger.
Six members of the armed forces are missing, the Ministry of Defense announced.
The soldiers were lured into an ambush in the Torodi district and hit by a self-made explosive device.
According to the ministry, the ground forces started a "comprehensive search in the area" to "catch the terrorists."
They were supported by military aircraft from the air.
The Niger government uses the term "terrorists" to refer to suspected jihadists.
Torodi is located in the Tillabéri region in southwestern Niger, on the border with Burkina Faso and Mali.
The so-called border triangle is often shaken by violence.
The authorities blame Islamist fighters associated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) jihadist militia.
The armed attacks are increasingly directed against the civilian population in Tillabéri.
Last week, 33 villagers were killed in two attacks on the Mali border.
asc / AFP
