In an IED explosion, five Niger soldiers were killed.

The defence ministry said on Sunday that five soldiers were killed by a mine in Niger’s southwestern Torodi region, where jihadist attacks using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) are becoming more common.

Three soldiers were injured in the blast, which occurred on Friday when an army patrol vehicle collided with an IED, according to a statement broadcast on national television by the ministry.

The troops were part of the Niya anti-jihadist force, which was established in February near the Burkina Faso border.

Despite the deployment of thousands of anti-jihadist troops and the imposition of a state of emergency, Islamist groups have targeted western Niger on a regular basis since 2017.

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In Torodi and neighboring Gotheye, IED attacks on the army have become increasingly common.

Both are in the “three borders” flashpoint zone between Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, which is home to jihadist groups such as the Islamic State of Greater Sahara.

According to security sources, the jihadists have recruited a large number of young people in Niger, particularly in areas near the Burkina Faso border, where they have “established several logistics bases.”

On its southeastern border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province operate, Niger, the world’s poorest country according to the UN’s Human Development Index, is fighting another jihadist insurgency.

President Mohamed Bazoum claims that 12,000 of the country’s soldiers are dedicated to anti-jihadist operations on a full-time basis.