PARIS—The French army said on Thursday that forces from its Operation Barkhane in West Africa had killed close to 40 militants in a strike near the border of Niger with Burkina Faso on June 14.
Following an attack against Niger gendarmes and acting at the request of authorities in Niger, Barkhane forces used air surveillance to track a column of 40 motorcycles, carrying out the strike in close cooperation with Niger forces, the statement said.
“Our military commitment in the Sahel-Sahara area to fight terrorism, along our African partners is total,” Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu said on Twitter.
Niger, a former French colony, agreed in February to host special forces transferred from neighboring Mali as France withdrew troops deployed there since 2013 to help fight ISIS terrorists….