Troops from France, Niger kill 3 fighters, capture 3 others who rammed checkpoint
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The French Defense Ministry says troops from France and Niger killed three armed combattants and detained three others who tried to force their way through a checkpoint near the Libyan border.
The ministry said Monday that the clash happened Thursday in the Salvador pass region near Manama, Niger, where the two countries began a joint counterterrorism operation on May 9.
The incident took place when two pickup trucks sought to force their way through a checkpoint, with armed fighters on board opening fire after troops fired warning shots.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The ministry said that afterward, 1.5 tons of drugs, which were unspecified, and automatic weapons were seized.
France has deployed 3,000 troops in a vast counterterrorism operation along with five countries in Africa's vast Sahel region along the southern Sahara.