<p dir="ltr">At least 17 soldiers were killed in a jihadist ambush in Niger, the de facto military government said, ahead of a meeting of West African countries on possible armed intervention to restore ousted President Mohamed Bazoum. &nbsp; <p dir="ltr">The Nigerian Defense Ministry reported that another 20 soldiers were wounded in Tuesday&#39;s ambush near the town of Koutougou in the southwestern region of Tillab&eacute;ri, close to the border with Burkina Faso, the AFP news agency reported. &nbsp; <p dir="ltr">This is the deadliest attack in Niger, a country that has been confronting violence by jihadist groups for several years, since the July 26 coup against Bazoum. &nbsp; <p dir="ltr">The military justified the uprising by arguing that it was necessary due to the deterioration of security and the economy with Bazoum, assumed in 2021 in the first peaceful transfer of power in Niger since its independence, in 1960.