French drone strikes have killed almost 40 fighters traveling on motorcycles near Niger’s border with Burkina Faso, it was announced by France’s military Thursday. The French military called the drone stricts a new tactical success for France’s counterterrorism efforts in the Sahel region in Africa.
The motorcycles belonged to an armed terrorist group and the Nigerien units worked together with the French forces, called the Barkhane forces, to carry out the strikes. NIger has become a more reliable ally since military coups have overthrown the presidents elected by democratic process in Mali and Burkina Faso in the past two years. France removed troops from Mali earlier this year after rising tensions with the country’s leader. France announced then it would reposition its forces to other countries in the sahel region, including Niger.
Read more: Forty fighters ‘neutralised’ in drone strikes in Niger
