The skirmish between security forces and the assailants left one dead on either side, in the Sahara-Sahel region of the country near the uranium mining town of Arlit, the defence ministry of the West African state said.
“A soldier was killed and six others wounded while a gunman was killed,” a statement read over Niger’s national television on Monday said.
In addition, the army recovered a four-wheel drive vehicle containing 640 kilograms of explosives, 435 detonators, various military arsenal and the sum of $ 90,000 in cash, the statement added.
There are growing concerns that following the Libyan conflict, small arms could flow in to the region and may pose a bigger regional threat.
Nations of the region including Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Algeria said in May they will set up, within 18 months, a joint force of up to 75,000 soldiers to secure their shared Sahara-Sahel desert zone, which they are struggling to control and where al Qaeda’s North African wing has stepped up attacks.