DefenceTalkKey ministers from France and Niger met on Friday as French forces revamp their mission in the Sahel following a planned pullout from Mali. Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna and Defence Minister Sebastien Lecornu arrived in the Nigerien capital late Thursday. Their joint visit aims to “represent the combined civilian and military” support given by France, […]https://www.defencetalk.com/french-foreign-defence-ministers-in-niger-as-mali-pullout-nears-79091/

DefenceTalkThe US military in Niger said Thursday they had lost a second drone in two months, both through technical failure rather than from hostile action in the conflict-torn country. “A… remotely piloted aircraft (RPA) was lost near Agadez, Niger, April 23,” US Africa Command said in an email to AFP. “U.S. forces secured the RPA […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-military-lose-second-drone-in-niger-75478/

Heavily armed assailants stormed a military base in Niger on Thursday killing 25 people and leading to fierce clashes that killed 63 “terrorists”, the defence ministry said, in an area where dozens died in a previous jihadist attack. The raid near to the volatile frontier with Mali by attackers in vehicles and on motorbikes began […]

DefenceTalkA comprehensive probe into last year’s deadly attack on US and local forces in Niger uncovered a series of avoidable blunders leading up to the assault, the Pentagon said Thursday. Four American soldiers and four members of Nigerien partner forces were killed in the October 4 ambush, when scores of jihadists overran their convoy in […]https://www.defencetalk.com/pentagon-probe-finds-training-command-issues-in-niger-ambush-71670/

DefenceTalkThe military operation that left four US commandos dead in Niger was actually a mission to capture or kill a militant leader, not a routine reconnaissance patrol as asserted by the Pentagon, ABC News reported Thursday. The target of the October 3-4 overnight operation was a militant leader — known locally as Dandou — linked […]https://www.defencetalk.com/us-mission-in-niger-not-what-us-commanders-say-it-was-report-70731/

DefenceTalkFrance is to send a contingent of counterterror forces to help the army in Niger after militants ambushed a military patrol killing 16, the defence ministry said. The decision, announced late Saturday, was taken following a request from President Mahamadou Issoufou after Wednesday’s attack near the border with Mali. The deadly ambush, which took place […]https://www.defencetalk.com/france-sends-backup-to-niger-after-16-troops-killed-69302/

DefenceTalkBy Jody Ray Bennett In January 2013, US military officials finalized a Status of Forces (SOFA) agreement with the government of Niger to increase military involvement throughout the country. While the move clearly reflected developments in neighboring Mali, it had long been an operational goal of the Pentagon to establish a drone base in the […]https://www.defencetalk.com/niger-new-drone-base-highlights-a-shift-in-us-west-african-relations-47985/