NIAMEY, June 20 (Xinhua) -- At least 34 members of the Nigerien army were killed and 14 others injured in a terrorist attack in Banibangou, western Niger, local media quoted defense minister Salifou Mody as saying on Thursday.

"Today, Thursday, June 19, 2025, at around 9:00 a.m. local time (0800 GMT), the town of Banibangou was the target of a cowardly and barbaric attack perpetrated by a horde of several hundred mercenaries, aboard eight vehicles and more than 200 motorcycles," Mody said in a statement read on national television "Tele-Sahel."

He said that defense and security forces acted promptly and killed "several dozen terrorists."

"Air and ground reinforcements are currently being deployed to search for and destroy the remaining straggling attackers," the statement said. ■