Suspected Boko Haram militants raided a village in southeastern Niger, killing 16 people and looting shops, witnesses said Thursday.<br />The attack occurred on Wednesday night in a village not far from the border with Nigeria, said Adam Boukarna, who runs a radio station in the nearby town of Diffa.<br />Southeast Niger borders Boko Haram's base in northeast Nigeria, and the region has been hit multiple times by the Nigeria-based extremists.<br />Niger is one of five countries contributing to a regional force created to wipe out Boko Haram, whose six-year insurgency has left an estimated 20,000 dead, according to Amnesty International.
