Islamist militants from al-Qaeda and Boko Haram have killed four security forces in two separate attacks in Niger, officials have said.
Three policemen were shot dead by suspected al-Qaeda members in a village near the border with Burkina Faso.
One soldier was killed and two others wounded when a military convoy was attacked close to Nigeria's border.
Thursday's attacks came three days before Sunday's controversial presidential run-off election.
The opposition has said they will not recognize the results of the vote, and their candidate Hama Amadou, is currently receiving medical treatment in Paris after spending months in jail.
Niger's Interior Minister Hassimi Massaoudou says the attack in a market in Dolbel village close to Burkina Faso was the work of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Magrib (AQIM), which has been active in the region.
The other attack was carried out by four suicide bombers in southern Difa region that has often been targeted by Nigeria's Boko Haram insurgents.
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Niger is rated by the UN as one of the world's least-developed nations and was recently named as the worst country to live in.
bbc.com