NIAMEY, Niger / ISTANBUL 

At least 10 Nigerien soldiers were killed in an attack near the Burkina Faso border, the Nigerien army announced Wednesday night.

The soldiers were ambushed Monday during an operation near the western Takzat village of the West African nation, the Nigerien Armed Forces announced on public television.

Around 15 “terrorists” were killed the following day during operations in the area.

Another 10 Niger soldiers were killed and seven others wounded last December in attacks by armed men near the same border with Burkina Faso.

Since 2017, Nigerien Bankilare and Tera areas, located in the Tillaberi region bordering Burkina Faso, have suffered armed attacks attributed to terrorist groups operating in the so-called “three borders” zone between Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger.