Suspected jihadists kill at least 19 in bus attack in Niger

NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Armed men attacked a bus killing at least 19 passengers in western Niger near the border with Burkina Faso, the Association of Passenger Transport Companies said Thursday.

A dozen suspected jihadists on motorcycles intercepted the bus on Wednesday near the village of Fono, shooting the passengers before setting the bus on fire, the association said. Several passengers were injured and others are missing, it said. The bus was heading from Burkina Faso’s capital, Ouagadougou, to Niger’s capital, Niamey.

Trucks were found still on fire at the site of the accident.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but similar attacks have been carried out in the Tillaberi region near the border with Burkina Faso by jihadist groups linked to both al-Qaida and the Islamic State Group.