An armed group killed 20 soldiers and one civilian in western Niger on Tuesday, prompting the military ministry to declare three days of national mourning.

"A coalition of terrorist armed groups" attacked security forces near the village of Tassia, leaving "21 martyrs including one civilian" and nine injured, the ministry announced in a statement on national television.

It stated that "several dozen" of the assailants had been slain and that airborne and ground reinforcements were being dispatched to find the remaining attackers.

PHOTO | COURTESY 

Did you read this?

  1. 3 Niger Nationals Given Suspended Sentences By A Benin Court Amid Diplomatic Woes
  2. Niger Prosecutor Says Ousted President Tried To Escape
  3. Six Killed After A Fuel Truck Exploded At Tirmini, Niger

According to the ministry, three days of national mourning will begin on Wednesday, with flags lowered at half-mast. The ministry cited the security forces' "unshakeable determination" to "continue this fight for sovereignty."

Tassia is in the Tillaberi area, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso. For more than a decade, militants affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State organization have conducted a brutal war.