Three US soldiers have been killed and two others wounded in an ambush in Niger near the border with Mali, reports say.<\/p>\n
Several Nigerien soldiers are also said to have died in the attack.<\/p>\n
US Africa Command said the patrol had come under \u201chostile fire\u201d and was working to confirm the details.<\/p>\n
The US army has been providing training to Niger\u2019s army to help combat Islamist militants in the region, including the North African branch of al-Qaeda.<\/p>\n
US President Donald Trump has been briefed by his chief-of-staff, John Kelly, about the attack, White House spokesperson Sarah Sanders said.<\/p>\n
According to the New York Times, quoting a military official, three Army Green Berets \u2013 US army special forces \u2013 were killed in the ambush which took place 120 miles (193km) north of Niamey, the capital of Niger.<\/p>\n
The paper said they were the first American casualties to die from hostile fire since the US Africa Command deployed in Niger.<\/p>\n
Two wounded US soldiers are in stable condition and will be flown to Germany for treatment, CNN reports.<\/p>\n
An official from Niger\u2019s Tillaberi region told Reuters that five Nigerien soldiers were among the dead.<\/p>\n
Officials were unable to say who fired on the soldiers.<\/p>\n
Militants belonging to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) \u2013 an affiliate of al-Qaeda \u2013 are active in the region and are known to have conducted cross-border raids.<\/p>\n
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Source: BBC<\/p>\n
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