The statement said that seven soldiers were killed in combat while five others were killed in an accident while driving to reinforce the unit that was attacked.
The attack occurred in Kandadji, about 190 kilometers from the capital, Niamey, near the tri-border region of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, which has been a center for extremists in the Sahel region during the past few years.
Earlier on Thursday, three sources, including a senior army officer who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told Reuters that at least ten soldiers had been killed.
Neither the sources nor the Ministry of Defense mentioned who was responsible for the attack, but groups in the region affiliated with Al-Qaeda and ISIS are active in the region and launch repeated attacks on soldiers and civilians.
The Ministry of Defense statement said that about 100 rebels were killed and their motorcycles and weapons destroyed, without providing further details.
Two security sources said that the army responded to the attack with ground forces and helicopters, one of which was hit but was able to return to its base.
Niger is run by a military junta that seized power in a coup in July, partly out of dissatisfaction with the deteriorating security situation, but security analysts say that attacks have been declining during the era of ousted President Mohamed Bazoum.
#soldiers #killed #bloody #attack #Niger #rebels