Maradi, Ramadan 6, 1438, Jun 1, 2017, SPA -- Six Nigerien soldiers were killed when heavily armed attackers targeted an army position near the Malian border, the government said on Thursday. The attackers arrived on vehicles in the village of Abala on Wednesday evening. They stole four vehicles, some of which were later found, according to the communique. Nigerien and Malian security forces were trying to track down the "terrorists," it added. Abala and other localities were put under a state of emergency in March following a string of attacks, dpa reported. --SPA 00:51 LOCAL TIME 21:51 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w419462