71 soldiers killed in attack on military base in west Niger

A caravan of gunmen ambushed a military post in the West African nation of Niger, killing 71 soldiers in an attack bearing the hallmarks of Islamist groups operating in the region, the country’s defense ministry said Wednesday.

Nigerien President Mahamadou Issoufou cut short a trip abroad because of the “tragedy,” his office said in a tweet, calling attention to the continent’s rapid spread of extremists with ties to the Islamic State and al-Qaida.

The leader of neighboring Burkina Faso, which is also struggling to fight off insurgent groups, condemned the violence on Twitter, as early reports detailed one of the deadliest massacres of the country’s security forces in years.

Assailants in cars and on motorbikes stormed the army base Tuesday night with explosives, RFI Afrique reported, leaving several wounded and others missing.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack.

The bloodshed comes less than a week before West African leaders are due to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron in southwestern France to discuss the French military’s future role in curbing the conflict.

Niger has worked with French forces and troops from bordering countries in recent years to contain the unrest that has killed thousands and forced nearly a million people from their homes, by the United Nations’ latest count.