International Desk : Seven soldiers have been killed after their vehicle ran over a landmine in the Niger's western Tillaberi region, said the National Guard of Niger (GNN).

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A vehicle carrying supplies on a weekly delivery run hit the mine late in the morning six kilometres (four miles) from Samira village on Sunday, 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.

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Jihadist fighters regularly launch attacks in the region. 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-Qaeda and the Islamic State group. In the southwest, they also have to contend with jihadist fighters from Boko Haram.

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It is supported by a number of western countries, including France and the United States, who both have military bases there.

Sun News/MR

Seven soldiers killed landmine GNN vehicle

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