The French army says it has seized 1.5 tonnes
of drugs and a cache of weapons after
stopping a convoy of militants in the desert in
north-eastern Niger.
Militants in two pickup trucks opened fire on
French and Nigerien forces after refusing to
stop at a checkpoint on 14 May, the French
military said.
Soldiers discovered the illegal cargo after a
fire-fight in which three militants were killed,
it added.
France has 3,000 troops in the Sahel region to
combat militant Islamists.
Three other militants were also captured and
handed over to Nigerien forces, the French
army said in its statement.
Widespread trafficking in the Sahel region is a
major source of funding for militant Islamist
groups across the continent, analysts say.
Operation Barkhane, which comprises French
forces as well as troops from Mali,
Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad,
was established in August 2014 to stop the
emergence of jihadist groups.
The checkpoint where the incident took place
is located in the Sahara desert in an area the
French army describes as "an important
transit zone between Libya and the northern
Sahel".
The Sahel includes some of the world's
poorest countries but has rich natural
resources in the form of minerals and gas.
France sent troops to Mali in January 2013
after Islamist militants threatened to overrun
the capital, Bamako.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32796372