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Niger Says 17 of its Soldiers Killed in Ambush Near Burkina Faso Border 

Nigerien soldiers are seen in Niamey during pro-coup rallies. (AFP file photo)
Nigerien soldiers are seen in Niamey during pro-coup rallies. (AFP file photo)
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Niger Says 17 of its Soldiers Killed in Ambush Near Burkina Faso Border 

Nigerien soldiers are seen in Niamey during pro-coup rallies. (AFP file photo)
Nigerien soldiers are seen in Niamey during pro-coup rallies. (AFP file photo)

Niger's defense ministry said that 17 of its soldiers had been killed in an ambush on Tuesday in a southwest region bordering Burkina Faso.

Attacks in Niger have been falling since 2021 but security remains a major problem, especially in the southwest near the border with neighboring Mali.

On the Malian side, the departure of French troops last year left a security vacuum that groups linked to ISIS and Al-Qaeda have expanded into.

A detachment of Niger's army was attacked in an ambush next to Torodi commune, the defense ministry said in a statement. It added that more than a hundred "terrorists" were neutralized.

"The swift reaction of the soldiers and the air-land response at the scene of the skirmish enabled the enemy to be dealt with," the statement said.

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North Korea Says Russia's Putin Offered Humanitarian Aid over Flood Damage

]Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
]Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
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North Korea Says Russia's Putin Offered Humanitarian Aid over Flood Damage

]Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights
]Russia's President Vladimir Putin and North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un attend a state reception in Pyongyang, North Korea June 19, 2024. Sputnik/Vladimir Smirnov/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo Purchase Licensing Rights

Russian President Vladimir Putin has offered humanitarian aid to North Korea, which has been hit by heavy rainfalls and floods, Pyongyang's state media KCNA said on Sunday.

Relations between the two countries have grown closer, and Putin made the offer in a message to North Korean leader Kim Jong Un delivered on Saturday via the Russian embassy in Pyongyang. The Russian leader's message expressed sympathy and support.

Putin displayed "his willingness to provide immediate humanitarian support for the recovery from the flood damage," KCNA said, Reuters reported.

Kim thanked the offer but said since his government has already taken measures to conduct recovery work, he would ask for help "if aid is necessary," it added.

Heavy rains have pummelled the North's northwestern areas in recent days, flooding more than 4,000 homes and isolating some 5,000 residents, KCNA has reported. Kim personally inspected the affected areas and oversaw rescue efforts.

KCNA did not mention a separate proposal last week by South Korea to provide relief supplies for flood damage but released a statement by the North's foreign ministry criticising recent joint military drills between South Korea and the US.

On Thursday, South Korea's unification ministry handling inter-Korean affairs said it was ready to discuss flood relief with the North's Red Cross, a rare outreach under President Yoon Suk Yeol.

Pyongyang and Moscow have ramping up diplomatic and security ties in recent months, with Kim and Putin exchanging visits and having signed a "comprehensive strategic partnership" pact in June.