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5 Killed in Suspected Jihadi Attack in Niger

by Agence France-Presse

   Niamey, Niger --

   A police officer and four civilians were killed in a suspected
   terrorist attack in southwestern Niger, the army said Saturday, in an
   area where thousands fled their homes this month to escape jihadi
   violence.

   An army statement said the attack took place on Friday afternoon,
   targeting "a group of paramilitary police escorting a convoy" along a
   road near the border with Burkina Faso.

   The statement said five people had been killed and 19 injured,
   including seven officers, five soldiers, and seven civilians, who were
   all taken to the capital, Niamey.

   "On the side of the enemy, two terrorists were killed," the statement
   said.

   The attack took place in the southwestern Tillaberi region, in the
   border area where Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali meet -- a hotbed of
   activity for insurgents linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group.

   The vast arid area, roughly the size of South Korea, has about 150,000
   internally displaced people, according to the United Nations.

   On Wednesday, the U.N. and local authorities said nearly 11,000 had
   fled their homes this month alone.

   One of the poorest countries in the world, Niger is also struggling
   with jihadi violence that has spilled into its southeast from
   northeastern Nigeria.