Niamey/Nairobi — At least 18 soldiers in western Niger were killed and four others were missing after suspected Islamist militants blew up two cars and fired on a military camp, the army said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's (IS's) West African sect killed 28 soldiers in May.

Niger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200km away in the capital, Niamey. In the run-up, the EU has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.

An army statement said the attack began with the explosion of the two car bombs before additional assailants opened fire from motorcyles. The army's "partners" then responded with air strikes to force them across the border into Mali.

Former colonial power France has more than 4,000 troops in West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara, and often carries out air strikes on militants linked to IS and Al-Qaeda.

A security source said that about a dozen vehicles were stolen in the raid. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in earlier raids.

Security has deteriorated across the Sahel in recent months due to both jihadist attacks and deadly ethnic reprisals involving rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Militants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of IS in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

In 2017, they killed four members of US special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo. </s> At least 18 soldiers have been killed in western Niger in an attack by suspected Islamist militants on a military base.

The attack began with the detonation of two car bombs, officials said, before gunmen on motorbikes joined the raid.

Air strikes by US and French forces helped to drive the insurgents back, the government said.

Islamist militants are active in the region and killed 28 Nigerien soldiers in a similar raid in May.

Niger is due to host the African Union summit at the end of the week.

In a statement, the defence ministry said Monday's raid took place at Inates, near the border with Mali.

It said that as well as the 18 soldiers killed, four were missing. A lorry was destroyed by the air strikes and several "terrorists neutralised", the statement added.

Niger and other countries in the Sahel region of Africa have been facing a growing threat from militants including the Islamic State group and affiliates of al-Qaeda.

The groups are most active in Mali but often stage cross-border raids.

Niger is part of a five nation anti-insurgency force operating in the Sahel that includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Mauritania.

Despite deployments of French, US and UN forces, the region - including Niger - remains restive. </s> Unidentified attackers have killed 16 soldiers in a car bomb attack on a military camp in western Niger near the border with Mali, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates in the same region where an ambush by the West African branch of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group killed 28 soldiers in May.

Zakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, said that 16 soldiers had died.

Two security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Armed fighters have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.

Niger hosts an African Union summit from July 6 to 9, less than 200km away in the capital Niamey.

In the run-up to the summit, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to armed attacks.

Security has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara.

Fighters loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the ISIL leader in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

In 2017, they killed four members of US special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo.

The volatile region around Inates is a major base where soldiers are trained to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Various armed groups operate in Niger's west and north, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the southeast.

The country is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group set up to manage a coordinated response to the armed group.

France and the United States have deployed thousands of troops to the region.

The US has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave Washington permission to arm their drones.

The French also have a military base near Niamey airport and another at Madama in the north. </s> NIAMEY, July 2 (Reuters) - At least 18 soldiers in western Niger were killed and four others were missing after suspected Islamist militants blew up two cars and fired on a military camp, the army said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.

Niger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.

Former colonial power France has more 4,000 troops in West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara, and often carries out air strikes on militants linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.

A security source said that about a dozen vehicles were stolen in the raid. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in earlier raids.

Security has deteriorated across the Sahel in recent months due to both jihadist attacks and deadly ethnic reprisals involving rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Militants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

In 2017, they killed four members of U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo. </s> NIAMEY — Unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where Islamist militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State’s West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.

Niger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.

Zakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday’s attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.

Two security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.

An army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Security has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa’s Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara. France and the United States have deployed thousands of troops to the region to counter jihadist groups linked to Islamic State and al Qaeda.

The attacks have also helped to stoke ethnic violence between rival farming and herding communities, particularly in Mali and Burkina Faso.

Militants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali’s border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

In 2017, they killed four members of U.S. special forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo. </s> Unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, close to the border with Mali, where Islamist militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Islamic State's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.

Niger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 km (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.

Zakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.

Two security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Jihadists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.

An army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment. </s> At least 23 civilians have been killed in attacks on villages in troubled central Mopti region of Mali by armed men, a local mayor and a Malian security source said on Monday.

"During Sunday, and overnight, in the villages of Bidi, Sankoro and Saran, armed men attacked civilians, killing 23 of them," Cheick Harouna Sankare, mayor of the neighboring town of Ouenkoro, told AFP.

"The situation is serious, the army needs to act to reassure the population," he said, adding that an emergency meeting had been called.

The death toll was confirmed to the AFP by a security source in Mali.

Local media outlets reported that the attackers were dressed as members of the Dogon group.

Sankara said the attackers headed to the Bidi village after the attack in Saran but some 300 residents had already been evacuated, Anadolu Agency reported.

Separately, 11 people died when an explosive device blew up near the central town of Koro close to the border with Burkina Faso, a local official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Ethnic tensions in the center of the country have surged since an extremist group led by preacher Amadou Koufa emerged in 2015.

The group recruit mainly from among the Fulani -- primarily cattle breeders and traders -- and they have clashed with the Dogon and Bambara -- traditionally sedentary farmers who have formed their own self-defense militias.

There has been a wave of mass killings this year, including the massacre of 41 people in two ethnic Dogon villages on June 17, according to a U.N. count.

And in March, 160 Fulani were killed in an attack on a village by suspected rival militiamen.

Unrest in the central region coincides with an ongoing terrorist campaign that the Mali government is struggling to contain despite 4,000 troops deployed by France under Operation Barkhane and the 15,000-strong Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) peacekeeping force of the U.N.

Separately, unidentified gunmen have killed 16 soldiers in an attack on a military camp in western Niger near the border with Mali, local residents and security sources said on Tuesday.

The raid occurred on Monday afternoon near the town of Inates, where militants are active, and in the same region where an ambush by Daesh's West African branch killed 28 soldiers in May.

Bandits on motorbikes carried out the assault with "two car bombs," a source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The volatile region is a major base where Nigerien soldiers are trained to serve in the MINUSMA region.

Niger hosts the African Union summit from July 6-9 less than 200 kilometers (125 miles) away in the capital Niamey. In the run-up, the European Union has been training Nigerien forces to respond to militant attacks.

Zakari Insa, the brother of one of the soldiers killed in Monday's attack, and Souley Marou, a local villager, both said 16 soldiers had died.

Two security sources confirmed the death toll, and one of them said about a dozen vehicles had been stolen. Terrorists have previously launched attacks using vehicles stolen in previous raids.

An army spokesman could not immediately be reached for comment.

Security has deteriorated in recent months across West Africa's Sahel region, a semi-arid strip of land south of the Sahara.

Militants loyal to Adnan Abu Waleed al-Sahrawi, the leader of Daesh in the Greater Sahara, operate along Mali's border with Burkina Faso and Niger.

Various insurgent groups operate in Niger's west and north, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the southeast.

The country is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group set up to manage a coordinated response to the terrorist insurgency.

The U.S. has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave the Americans permission to arm their drones.

The French also have a military base near Niamey airport and another at Madama in the north.

Earlier this month, 18 Daesh terrorists were killed in a joint operation by U.S., French and Niger troops in the same area.

In 2017, they killed four members of U.S. Special Forces and four Nigerien soldiers in an ambush near the village of Tongo Tongo. </s> Eighteen soldiers were killed when "terrorists" struck an army camp in western Niger, the government said Tuesday, adding the US and France had provided air support to help repel the assault.

The attack took place on Monday afternoon at a camp at Inates on the border with Mali, the defence ministry said in a statement. Four soldiers were listed as missing.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, lies in the heart of the fragile Sahel region, which is battling an Islamist insurgency.

"The attack began with the detonation of two suicide vehicles at the entrance to the camp, followed by gunfire from terrorists who arrived on motorbike," the statement said.

"The counter-attack, with air support from our partners (French and American), enabled the enemy to be routed beyond our borders," it said. "Sweeping-up operations are continuing." 



Several "terrorists" were killed, a truck was destroyed by air strikes and two suicide vehicles were destroyed, it said.

On Monday, a military source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP there had been a twin "car-bomb attack" at the camp and suggested the toll would be high.

The base, located in a volatile region, trains Nigerien soldiers to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

Insurgent groups are active in western and northern Mali, spilling over from a long-running jihadist campaign in Mali, while Nigeria's Boko Haram is present in the country's southeast.

Last month, the defence ministry said 18 members of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) were killed in a joint operation by US, French and Niger troops in the southwestern border region of Tongo Tongo.

In October 2017, the ISGS claimed responsibility for a raid which killed four US soldiers and five Nigerien troops in the same region, a mere 20 kilometres (12 miles) from the Malian border.

The United States has a big base for drones in the northern city of Agadez and Niger recently gave the Americans permission to arm their drones.

The French also have a military base near the airport at the capital Niamey and another at Madama in the north.

Niger is part of the so-called G5 Sahel group of five nations set up to manage a coordinated response to the jihadist insurgency in the impoverished region.

Niamey hosts a major meeting of the African Union from July 4-8, culminating in a summit expected to gather about 50 heads of state or government. </s> Boko Haram's Islamic State-backed faction on Wednesday claimed responsibility for an attack on an army camp in western Niger earlier in the week that killed 18 soldiers.

"Soldiers of the Caliphate attacked the Inates military base of the apostate Nigerien army near the Malian border, two days ago," the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) said a statement, according to SITE Intelligence which monitors jihadist activities worldwide.

ISWAP, a faction of the Boko Haram jihadist group, said that two of their fighters blew themselves up inside the army base to "pave the way for the attack".

Afterwards, ISWAP fighters engaged in clashes with the Niger soldiers on the camp's perimeter for several hours, killing and wounding dozens, the statement said.

It claimed that the Niger soldiers were forced to flee, while the ISWAP fighters "returned safely to their positions".

Niger's defence ministry said that the attack on Monday afternoon "began with the detonation of two suicide vehicles at the entrance to the camp, followed by gunfire from terrorists who arrived on motorbike".

"The counter-attack, with air support from our partners (French and American), enabled the enemy to be routed beyond our borders," the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that several "terrorists" were killed.

It said that four soldiers were missing as well as the 18 killed, but on Wednesday the interior ministry clarified that the number present at the time of the attack had been miscalculated, and none were missing.

Niger, one of the world's poorest countries, lies in the heart of the fragile Sahel region, which is battling an Islamist insurgency.

The base targeted in the attack, located in a volatile region, trains Nigerien soldiers to serve in a UN peacekeeping mission in Mali.

In 2016, ISWAP split from Boko Haram, which has waged a bloody insurgency in Nigeria that has spilled over the border with Niger and prompted the formation of a regional military coalition to battle the insurgents.

IS recently started attributing attacks in Niger and surrounding areas to ISWAP, rather than the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS), according to analysts.

The latest attack comes ahead of Niger's capital Niamey hosting an African Union summit from July 4-8, bringing together some 50 heads of state. A heavy security force has been deployed in Niamey for the event.
Islamist militants attack a Niger Armed Forces base in the village of Inates, near the border with Mali, with two car bombs and gunmen, killing 18 soldiers. They also kidnapped four Nigerien soldiers and stole dozens of vehicles.