4 policemen killed in 'terrorist' attack in western Niger

This picture taken on October 19, 2016 shows two members of Niger's security forces standing guard outside the home of a US aid worker who was kidnapped on October 14 by armed men in Abalak in Tahoua region, 350 kilometers northeast of Niamey. (Photo by AFP)

An attack on a police post west of Niger has left at least four officers dead.

A security source said Monday that the attack, which took place a day earlier, struck Wanzarbe, a town located in the western region of Tillaberi.

“The provisional toll is four police officers killed in a clear terrorist attack on Sunday night," said the source, adding that the assault targeted a police station.

The government of Niger on Saturday declared a state of emergency in Tillaberi and other areas near the country’s border with Mali and Burkina Faso.

 Tillaberi and neighboring Tahoua region have witnessed several deadly attacks by militants from MUJAO, a terror outfit mainly operating in West Africa region. Most of those attacks have targeted army posts and refugee camps, including a late February assault in Ouallam, Tillaberi, which killed 16 soldiers and wounded 18 others.

Last October, a daring attack on a refugee camp in Tahoua also left 22 soldiers dead.

Officials say at least 43 people were killed in militant attacks in Tillaberi and Tahoua between October 2016 and February this year.

Niger is a northern neighbor to Nigeria, where the Boko Haram Takfiri terror group launched bloody militancy against the government seven years ago.

More than 20,000 people have been killed in the insurgency, which has also spread to neighboring countries of Niger, Chad and Cameron.