The ministry said late Sunday, as quoted by the RFI media outlet, that extremists coming from neighboring Nigeria ambushed military positions on Saturday morning in the border region of Diffa. Some 20 heavily armed attackers arrived on pick-ups and initiated the fighting.

The ministry reported that four soldiers died, one went missing and several others sustained injures in the hostilities. However, the military managed to neutralize several jihadists and destroy their equipment.

The attack came a day after the inauguration of President Mohamed Bazoum, whose victory in the February election prompted an attempt of a coup, which, however, failed.

The new head of state outlined the fight with terrorism as a priority in his policy and urged the governments of neighboring states to step up efforts in this direction.

In the meantime, the Diffa region remains particularly exposed to the terrorist threat, as refugees from Nigeria settle there when escaping violence caused by jihadist groups active in the area, including the notorious Boko Haram organization (an affiliate of the Islamic State terrorist organization, banned in Russia).