At least five soldiers were killed in an attack by unidentified gunmen close to Niger's border with Mali, Reuters quoted a security source in Niger as saying today. The raid close to Oualam, around 180 km (110 miles) north of Niger's capital Niamey, took place in an area where al Qaeda's North African wing, known as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Mahgreb (AQIM) operates. "Our soliders were ambushed at sunrise. They were attacked by rockets and machine gun fire," the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity. "At least five of our soliders were killed, and several were injured," he said. Clashes between soldiers and armed gangs are frequent along the uranium-exporting country's border with Mali.
