11 soldiers dead after Niger gunmen attack

Eleven soldiers died on Thursday and nine went missing after gunmen opened fire in southwest Niger.

The soldiers were defending the rural village of Dagne, the country’s defense ministry said Friday, Reuters reported. The gunmen showed up to the village in cars and motorcycles.

No group has taken responsibility for the attack yet. The area has faced several attacks this year from militants of the local affiliate of the Islamic State.

The Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project, a group tracking political violence, said more than 530 civilians have been killed by the Islamic State in Niger this year, five times more than last year. 

Another attack in southwest Niger occurred the same day, with gunmen killing 69 people, including a mayor. 

No group claimed responsibility yet for that attack either. Authorities found 15 people alive and started a search operation for other survivors.