NIAMEY  (AFP) – Clashes between troops and followers of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in Niger saw one soldier and three of the militants killed, the defence ministry said Friday.

Two other soldiers were wounded, said a statement read on national television, adding that the exchanges occurred in the mountainous Air region of northern Niger Thursday.

It said the troops had also captured 59 AQIM recruits aged between 19 and 20, along with two vehicles and a quantity of weapons.

The army said it had reinforced its activities in the north, with frequent patrols on the ground and reconnaissance from the air, following the collapse of Moamer Kadhafi’s regime in neighbouring Libya.

The defeat of Kadhafi has seen more than 30 members of his inner circle cross into Niger, including his son Saadi, along with Tuareg fighters he had recruited, and quantities of weapons looted from Libyan arsenals.