Niger Sends Helicopters to Border After Militants Attack

Niger sent army helicopters to its western border with Mali on Wednesday to repel unidentified militants who crossed over to attack the town of Bani-Bangou, residents and military sources said. Residents said the attackers had arrived on trucks and motorcycles during the afternoon before exchanging fire with Niger's security forces, causing locals to flee. Niger's poorly policed west is close to Mali's desert north, where Islamist insurgents linked to al-Qaida have been...

© La Voix de l'Amérique - mercredi 19 novembre 2014