The Gulf state expressed its total rejection of terrorist attacks targeting holy sites and worshippers.

Qatar strongly condemned an armed terrorist attack on worshippers in a mosque in the Tillabery region of Niger that dozens of innocent civilians.

At least 19 people were killed and two others wounded in the mosque attack launched by unidentified armed men, the Nigerian Interior Ministry confirmed on Saturday.

Statement: #Qatar Strongly Condemns Attack on Mosque in #Nigerhttps://t.co/KAPdGOfSps#MOFAQatar pic.twitter.com/rz8XfrDot5

— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Qatar (@MofaQatar_EN) August 22, 2021

The assailants struck the village of Tem in the Anzourou area during evening prayers on Friday, according to the ministry’s statement.

It was carried out by “armed men who arrived on foot, and their identities are not yet known.”

Earlier, a Nigerian official told AFP that the attack left “17 dead and five wounded”, noting the attackers “parked the motorbikes at a certain distance” from Tem, “and then walked into the village.”

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The ministry said it launched a “judicial investigation” to “find and prosecute the perpetrators of this cowardly and criminal act,” stressing that “security arrangements have been strengthened in the region.”

The Anzourou region has witnessed multiple attacks recently, especially in Zibane Koira Zeno, Zibane Koira Tegui and Gadabo villages.

In March, militants murdered 13 people, and in May over 11,000 residents were forced to flee the area due to a series of attacks that shook the stability of the region. 

The Anzourou area, also known as the “three borders” that links Niger with Mali and Burkina Faso, is rife with militants from Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara.

In a statement on Sunday, Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated its firm position against all kinds of violence and terrorist acts against civilians.

The ministry also denounced assaults on holy sites and worshippers, sending condolences to the families of the Niger mosque victims.