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Nine Nigerien soldiers died in an ambush against a regional prefect's motorcade near the country's border with Burkina Faso, a local official said Thursday.

Based on the number of bodies recovered, the toll was an increase on the six killed and three wounded reported on Wednesday by the governor of Tillaberi province in western Niger.

The attack by suspected jihadists on the convoy transporting the Bankilare district prefect was the first against government officials in Tillaberi.

It is part of the "tri-border" zone between Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali, known for high levels of attacks by jihadists linked to Al Qaeda and the Islamic State group (IS), especially against civilians.

Three Nigerien policemen were killed in another attack overnight from Sunday to Monday at a border post with Burkina.