Niger's government has declared three days of national mourning after 44 civilians were killed in an Islamist attack on Friday, local time.
The victims were killed in an attack on a mosque in the town of Kokorou in southwestern Niger, according to a statement from the ruling military junta's interior department, broadcast on state TV. Another 13 people were injured.
"The heavily armed terrorists surrounded the mosque to carry out their massacre with unusual brutality," the statement from the government reads.
The attack occurred in an area near the borders with Burkina Faso and Mali, a region where jihadists affiliated with the Islamic State and Al-Qaeda have been active for several years.
