A convoy intercepted in Niger near the border with Libya
(B2) A violent skirmish took place south of the Salvador pass on Thursday (May 14), near the Libyan border, between French and Nigerien forces on one side and six heavily armed individuals aboard two pick- up, the French Ministry of Defense has just announced.
Drugs and weapons of war
This convoy of two pick-ups had been observed “ advancing at high speed towards a checkpoint held by elements of the Barkhane force ". As they approached the checkpoint, the occupants of the two pick-ups " attempted to force the passage, responding to the warnings with a brutal opening of fire”. Three occupants of the convoy were killed and 3 others taken prisoner, " handed over to the Niger Armed Forces ". The search of the vehicles led to the seizure of " 1,5 tons of drugs, weapons of war (PKM and Kalashnikov type submachine guns), as well as means of communication”.
Operation Kounama 3
On May 9, the Barkhane force launched, alongside the Nigerien forces, an area control operation in the region of the Salvador pass located about a hundred kilometers northwest of Manama, aimed at detecting possible infiltrations in this important transit zone between Libya and the northern Sahel. This operation, called "Kounama 3", began on the night of May 9 to 10 with the parachuting of a hundred men from the 2nd foreign parachute regiment (2nd REP). Operation that favored surprise.
The forces deployed on the ground were then joined by a column of French and Nigerien vehicles from Madama. A total of 200 soldiers were engaged in this area control operation: 150 soldiers from the Barkhane forces (paratroopers from the 2nd REP and the 1st parachute hussar regiment) and 50 soldiers from the Nigerien armed forces (FAN).
(NGV)
