A double assault on Friday by suspected terrorists near Niger’s western frontier with Burkina Faso claimed the lives of 10 soldiers, authorities confirmed, while reporting that 41 of the attackers had been killed.

The West African nation, now governed by a military junta, has been grappling with insurgencies linked to Al-Qaeda and Islamic State for over a decade.

In a statement, Defence Minister General Salifou Modi said the attacks, carried out simultaneously by “several hundred mercenaries”, targeted the localities of Bouloundjounga and Samira in Gotheye department.

The statement, broadcast on national television, noted that 10 troops were killed and 15 others wounded.

“On the enemy side, 41 mercenaries were neutralised,” it said.

Gotheye department, which borders Mali and Burkina Faso, has long been notorious for terrorist activity.

Samira village is home to Niger’s only industrial-scale gold mining operation. In May, eight workers from the mine were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb.