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3 militants, 1 soldier killed as Boko Haram attacks Niger prison

Xinhua, July 13, 2015 Adjust font size:

Three militants and a soldier died early Sunday morning as Islamist group Boko Haram attacked a civilian prison in Niger's Diffa region near the Nigerian border, a security source told Xinhua on Sunday.

The attack was carried out by three heavily-armed Boko Haram suicide bombers who attempted to force their way into the Diffa prison, the source said.

One of the assailants detonated his explosives while two others were killed by prison guards before they could set off their devices.

A local private radio said the fight between the defense and security forces and the assailants lasted for several hours.

The attack comes just a day after another attack at a market in N'Djamena, the capital of neighboring Chad, for which Boko Haram has claimed responsibility.

At least 16 people, among them security officers and a suicide bomber died in the attack in N'Djamena.

In the past half a year, Niger, like other countries in the Lake Chad basin, has come under deadly raids by Boko Haram from its bases in Nigeria.

Nigerien and Chadian troops have carried out an operation against the militant group. Endi