<p>NIAMEY, Niger — An ambush on a military patrol near Niger’s border with Mali killed 16 Niger soldiers and left one missing, the government said. </p>
<p>The patrol was returning from a security mission near the border with Mali in Tillia in the northern part of Niger’s Tahoua region when it was attacked by a band of men riding motorcycles on Saturday evening, the Ministry of Interior said in a statement late Sunday. Six other soldiers were wounded in the ambush. </p>
<p>Niger’s military also intercepted a group of suspected extremists Friday night, killing at least 24 who were preparing to attack Baibangou, a village about 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of the capital, Niamey, according to a statement from the ministry of defense. </p>
<p>“While in police custody, before being transported to Niamey, the suspected terrorists tried to escape around 4 a.m. and 24 of them were shot dead by the army,” the defense ministry said. </p>
<p>Both incidents are being officially investigated. </p>
<p>Niger and neighboring Burkina Faso and Mali are battling the spread of deadly extremist violence from groups linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. The increasing violence has killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands despite the presence of regional and international troops. </p>
<p>In Niger, hundreds of civilians have already been killed this year. </p>
<p>In January, at least 100 people were killed in Niger’s western villages of Tchombangou and Zaroumdareye.</p>
<p>In March, a series of attacks on villages near Niger’s troubled border with Mali left at least 137 people dead in the deadliest violence to strike the West African nation. </p>
