Armed terrorists with link to Alqaeda on Tuesday killed 21 soldiers and injured nine in Tassia Sun Badjo, Tillaberi, Niger Republic.

Following the incident, the Niger government has declared a three-day period of national mourning to honour the lives lost.

This was made known by Zagazola Makama, a Lake Chad Basin counter-terrorism and insurgency expert, in a post on his X handle on Wednesday.

Makama said the attack occurred near Niger’s border with Burkina Faso and Mali, noting that the area was frequently targeted by extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

According to him, the ongoing conflict in the Sahel region has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of over 2 million people.

Makama specifically noted that the attack came at a time of heightened political tension in Niger after military junta took power in a coup last year, which now faces pressure from neighboring countries and international forces to address the growing security crisis.

“On Tuesday, June 25, a terrorist ambush in Tassia Sun Badjo, Tillaberi, resulted in the deaths of 21 Nigerien soldiers, with nine additional soldiers injured.

“In response to this tragic event, the government of Niger has declared a three-day period of national mourning to honor the lives lost.

“The attack occurred near Niger’s border with Burkina Faso and Mali, an area frequently targeted by extremist groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State.

“The ongoing conflict in the Sahel region has resulted in thousands of deaths and the displacement of over 2 million people

“This attack comes at a time of heightened political tension, as Niger’s military junta, which took power in a coup last year, faces pressure from neighboring countries and international forces to address the growing security crisis,” he wrote.