Bus and truck attack in Niger killed 21 people near Burkina Faso

A jihadist attack on buses and trucks in southwestern Niger, near Burkina Faso, killed at least 21 people, including two police officers, on Wednesday, a local security source told AFP on Thursday.

“A terrorist attack carried out by a heavily armed individual on a motorcycle and vehicle on Wednesday afternoon killed 19 people among passengers on a bus, including two police officers, and two others in a truck attack,” the source said.

Buses and trucks caught fire, and sources added anonymity as a condition.

Two occupants of a truck carrying fruits and vegetables were burned, and five people were seriously injured, including a police officer who was transported to the capital Niamey in a bus attack, the source added.

Seven passengers who survived the bus were found, including four women and three men.

The “three borders” region between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali has been the scene of bloody actions by the Jihad movement involving Al-Qaeda and Islamic State groups since 2017.

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