More than 200 gunmen in motorcycles have attacked a Niger Army base near the mountain border, leaving at least 34 dead soldiers, the country’s defense ministry said.

The attackers – described by the ministry as “mercenaries” – raided the base in the western city of Banibangou on Thursday, injuring 14 other soldiers.

The ministry said its forces killed “dozens of terrorists” in battle.

Niger’s army is under pressure for the failure to curb militant attacks, one of his reasoning for the democratically elected President Mohamed Bazum in 2023.

“This Thursday, June 19, a cowardly and barbaric attack against (the city of) Banibangou by a crowd of several hundred mercenaries in eight vehicles and more than 200 motorcycles,” the ministry said in a statement read on state TV.

She added that troops were conducting search operations in Banibangou to pursue the attackers.

The city, which lies near the three -way border between Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso, is prone to jihadist attacks by Islamic groups.

Niger’s ruling Junta has expelled French and American forces that were heavily involved in the fight against jihadists.

West African Niger neighbors, Burkina Faso and the mountain are facing an uprising by various jihadist groups operating throughout the Sahel region.

All three countries have formed an alliance to fight jihadists and scale ties with the West, addressing Russia and Turkey instead of their security needs.

But the violence has continued.