18 Nigerien gendarmes killed in southwest Niger attack

At least 18 Nigerien gendarmes were killed in an attack by an armed group on a Gendarmerie post in the Dosso region of southwestern Niger, security sources reported Saturday.

The attackers arrived on approximately fifty motorcycles, each carrying at least two armed combatants. They reportedly exploited the weekly market day in the village of Tessa to launch a surprise assault on the Gendarmerie post, according to a police source speaking to EFE.

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The attackers arrived on about fifty motorcycles, each of them with at least two armed combatants. They took advantage of the weekly market day in the village of Tessa, to attack the Gendarmerie post by surprise.

After seizing control of the military position during Friday's attack, the assailants allegedly took weapons and set fire to several vehicles before retreating. Security sources indicated that ground and air pursuit operations immediately following the attack allowed for the "neutralization of several dozen attackers," though further details were not provided.

The attack has not yet been claimed, and Nigerien authorities have not issued an official statement. This incident follows a similar attack about ten days prior, where over a dozen Nigerien soldiers died in an assault by fighters from the Islamic State group in the Diffa region.

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neutralize several dozen attackers