Landmine Kills 7 Soldiers in Niger

Seven soldiers were killed Sunday after their vehicle ran over a landmine in the Niger's western Tillaberi region, said the National Guard of Niger (GNN). Jihadist fighters regularly launch attacks in the region. A vehicle carrying supplies on a weekly delivery run hit the mine late in the morning 6 kilometers (4 miles) from Samira village, said the GNN in a statement.   The village, which lies not far from Niger's border with Burkina Faso in the southwest, has since 2004 hosted the country's only industrial-scale gold mine. This assault was just the latest in a series of attacks against Niger's soldiers. The impoverished Sahel country is grappling with an insurgency by jihadists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. In the southwest, they also have to contend with jihadist fighters from Boko Haram. It is supported by a number of Western countries, including France and the United States, who both have military bases there.

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