http://www.mail.com/locations/23852-niger.html Mail.com - the best personalized free web-based Email en en http://sec-s.uicdn.com/mail.com/2.28/img/mailcom_logo_rss.png http://www.mail.com/locations/23852-niger.html http://www.mail.com/news/world/2107674-french-help-niger-to-kill-jihadist-bombers.html NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — With the help of French special forces, Niger's military on Friday killed the last two jihadists holed up inside a dormitory on the grounds of a military garrison in the desert town of Agadez, and freed at least two soldiers who had been held hostage by the extremists, according to French and Nigerien officials. For hours there had be... Fri, 24 May 2013 15:36:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2107674-french-help-niger-to-kill-jihadist-bombers.html 2013-05-24T15:36:45Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101350-nigeria-islamic-extremist-inmates-to-released.html ENUGU, Nigeria (AP) — Nigeria's military said Tuesday that the West African nation would release some of the prisoners it has taken in the country's fight against Islamic extremists — including all the women now held in custody. The surprise statement from the Defense Ministry, while lacking specifics about how many would be released and when, represents ... Tue, 21 May 2013 21:07:15 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2101350-nigeria-islamic-extremist-inmates-to-released.html 2013-05-21T21:07:15Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2076472-suicide-bombers-launch-attacks-2-mali-towns.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Five suicide bombers carried out two simultaneous attacks on soldiers in Mali on Friday in another indication of the growing coordination of operations by militants against African and French forces. The attacks only killed the bombers and wounded two Malian soldiers, but they highlighted the continued threat posed by the al-Qaida-link... Fri, 10 May 2013 17:07:23 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2076472-suicide-bombers-launch-attacks-2-mali-towns.html 2013-05-10T17:07:23Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2073798-nigeria-military-helicopter-crashes-oil-delta.html ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A Nigerian military helicopter has crashed in the country's oil-rich southern delta, just days after one of its jets crashed. A statement from Nigeria's Air Force said the crash happened Thursday morning at its base in Port Harcourt and that the crew escaped unharmed. Local witnesses described seeing a plume of smoke rise from the base. Thu, 09 May 2013 12:54:53 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2073798-nigeria-military-helicopter-crashes-oil-delta.html 2013-05-09T12:54:53Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2066654-nigerian-military-plane-crashes-niger-2-dead.html NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — An airport official in the capital of Niger says a military plane from Nigeria has crashed, killing the two people aboard. Chaibou Massalatchi, the head of Niamey's airport, said the plane had taken off Monday to do a reconnaissance mission. The Nigerian military is taking part in the regional effort to support France's operation in n... Mon, 06 May 2013 19:35:35 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2066654-nigerian-military-plane-crashes-niger-2-dead.html 2013-05-06T19:35:35Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2022694-irans-president-visits-uranium-rich-niger.html NIAMEY, Niger (AP) — Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad visited the uranium-rich West African nation of Niger on Tuesday, although officials discounted that the mineral was the reason for his visit. Niger's President Mahamadou Issoufou denied international speculation that Iran had come in search of uranium for its enrichment program, which Western pow... Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:26:37 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/2022694-irans-president-visits-uranium-rich-niger.html 2013-04-16T17:26:37Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2019944-chads-leader-troops-to-leave-mali-guerrilla-war.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The war against armed Islamic extremists in Mali will lose some 2,000 Chadian soldiers, the president of Chad said, leaving Malian cities more vulnerable to a resurgence of jihadist attacks. The news that Chad will pull its troops from Mali could force France to push back its own timeframe for withdrawing its troops from its former Wes... Tue, 16 Apr 2013 01:55:29 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2019944-chads-leader-troops-to-leave-mali-guerrilla-war.html 2013-04-16T01:55:29Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/2020280-hundreds-arrested-nigeria-immigrant-raids.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — The buses crammed full of young men leave each afternoon from this busy market in Nigeria's largest city, some with bruises around their faces and cuts on their arms. A series of raids by Nigerian authorities in recent days has brought fear to Katangua Market in Lagos, where immigrant labor makes the market thrum amid piles of second... Mon, 15 Apr 2013 14:59:32 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/2020280-hundreds-arrested-nigeria-immigrant-raids.html 2013-04-15T14:59:32Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1954480-us-islamic-extremists-move-nigeria-mali.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — Islamic extremists continue to move freely between Nigeria and northern Mali, despite the ongoing French military operation there against them, the United States ambassador to Nigeria said Thursday. As extremist shootings, bombings and kidnappings of foreigners continue unstopped across northern Nigeria, U.S. Ambassador Terence McCul... Thu, 14 Mar 2013 15:42:02 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1954480-us-islamic-extremists-move-nigeria-mali.html 2013-03-14T15:42:02Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1909550-us-troops-niger-to-set-up-drone-base.html WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama said Friday that about 100 American troops have been deployed to the African nation of Niger. Two U.S. defense officials said the troops would be setting up a base for unarmed drones to conduct surveillance. Obama announced the deployment in a letter to Congress, saying that the forces "will provide support for int... Sat, 23 Feb 2013 03:10:30 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1909550-us-troops-niger-to-set-up-drone-base.html 2013-02-23T03:10:30Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1906126-al-qaida-tipsheet-avoiding-drones-mali.html TIMBUKTU, Mali (AP) — One of the last things the bearded fighters did before leaving this city was to drive to the market where traders lay their carpets out in the sand. The al-Qaida extremists bypassed the brightly colored, high-end synthetic floor coverings and stopped their pickup truck in front of a man selling more modest mats woven from desert gras... Thu, 21 Feb 2013 19:24:04 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1906126-al-qaida-tipsheet-avoiding-drones-mali.html 2013-02-21T19:24:04Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1902790-moment-reckoning-french-troops-mali.html PARIS (AP) — It's crunch time in Mali for the French military. Radical Islamist fighters spent weeks on the run from Malian cities under a French ground and air assault — but they're brazenly fighting back this week at French troops. The French, meanwhile, are tightening a dragnet against the al-Qaida-linked militants in one of their last remaining redoub... Wed, 20 Feb 2013 16:40:45 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1902790-moment-reckoning-french-troops-mali.html 2013-02-20T16:40:45Z http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1891478-much-investigated-denies-fixing-soccer-matches.html ZURICH (AP) — It was in the final minutes of a June 2011 soccer game between Nigeria and Argentina when the little green flags on computer screens in London started to change color. Nigeria was leading 4-0 in the exhibition match of little significance, and more and more money was being laid down around the world on the possibility that one of the teams w... Thu, 14 Feb 2013 13:30:12 GMT http://www.mail.com/sports/other/1891478-much-investigated-denies-fixing-soccer-matches.html 2013-02-14T13:30:12Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1886028-mali-soldiers-step-up-presence-gao-attack.html GAO, Mali (AP) — Soldiers from Niger and Mali patrolled downtown Gao on foot Tuesday, combing the sand footpaths through empty market stalls to prevent radical Islamic fighters from returning to this embattled city in northern Mali. The heavy presence of troops near the waterfront reflects efforts to fortify the Niger River landing point where the militan... Tue, 12 Feb 2013 15:46:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1886028-mali-soldiers-step-up-presence-gao-attack.html 2013-02-12T15:46:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1876986-ex-us-envoy-17m-french-ransom-funded-al-qaida.html PARIS (AP) — A former U.S. ambassador to Mali has alleged that France paid a $17 million ransom to free hostages seized from a French mining site — cash she said ultimately funded the al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants its troops are now fighting. French officials, whose soldiers are pushing north into the territory where the missing captives are believed to be held, denied ... Fri, 08 Feb 2013 15:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1876986-ex-us-envoy-17m-french-ransom-funded-al-qaida.html 2013-02-08T15:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1874498-french-try-to-root-would-be-jihadists.html PARIS (AP) — France, waging war against Islamist extremists in Mali, is on the hunt for would-be fighters at home, fearful that they will join militants in the conflict in its former African colony or take radical action on French soil. With Iraq and Afghanistan no longer magnets for foreign fighters, officials say they worry that some angry youth among t... Thu, 07 Feb 2013 18:18:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1874498-french-try-to-root-would-be-jihadists.html 2013-02-07T18:18:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1869614-congress-considers-putting-limits-drone-strikes.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Uncomfortable with the Obama administration's use of deadly drones, a growing number in Congress is looking to limit America's authority to kill suspected terrorists, even U.S. citizens. The Democratic-led outcry was emboldened by the revelation in a newly surfaced Justice Department memo that shows drones can strike against a wider range of threats, with l... Wed, 06 Feb 2013 02:38:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1869614-congress-considers-putting-limits-drone-strikes.html 2013-02-06T02:38:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1869184-france-4-detained-suspected-extremist-links.html PARIS (AP) — French authorities detained four people Tuesday in a counterterrorism operation targeting those suspected of trying to join Islamist extremists abroad. The raid in the Paris region comes amid fears that European extremists who once joined jihadi groups in Afghanistan or Iraq are now joining radical fighters in the civil war in Syria and the c... Tue, 05 Feb 2013 11:52:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1869184-france-4-detained-suspected-extremist-links.html 2013-02-05T11:52:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861198-us-limited-fight-north-africa-militants.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The United States is struggling to confront an uptick in threats from the world's newest jihadist hot spot with limited intelligence and few partners to help as the Obama administration weighs how to keep Islamic extremists in North Africa from jeopardizing national security without launching war. The spread of militants across Libya, Al... Fri, 01 Feb 2013 07:51:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1861198-us-limited-fight-north-africa-militants.html 2013-02-01T07:51:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/us/1856846-france-takes-key-mali-cities-hard.html JOHANNESBURG (AP) — French-led forces have wrested control of three key cities in northern Mali from al-Qaida-linked militants, but the fighters have escaped with their weapons into a desert region the size of Texas and are poised to mount counterattacks. New military strategies will be needed to rout the jihadists from their desert hideouts. When the Fre... Wed, 30 Jan 2013 16:53:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/us/1856846-france-takes-key-mali-cities-hard.html 2013-01-30T16:53:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854750-us-eyes-drone-base-africa-with-al-qaida-mind.html WASHINGTON (AP) — Plans to base unarmed American surveillance drones in the African nation of Niger highlight the Obama administration's growing concern about extremist influences in the volatile region. They also raise tough questions about how to contain al-Qaida and other militant groups without committing U.S. ground forces in yet another war. In the ... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 21:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1854750-us-eyes-drone-base-africa-with-al-qaida-mind.html 2013-01-29T21:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1853300-official-us-set-up-drone-base-niger.html WASHINGTON (AP) — The Pentagon is moving toward setting up a military base in northwest Africa from which to operate surveillance drones to collect intelligence on Islamic militants in the region, several U.S. defense officials said Tuesday. The officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the plan is still in the works, said the base in Niger wo... Tue, 29 Jan 2013 18:08:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/politics/1853300-official-us-set-up-drone-base-niger.html 2013-01-29T18:08:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1834706-inside-job-2-canadian-militants-algeria-siege.html ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — The hostage-taking at a remote Algerian gas plant was carried out by 30 militants from across the northern swath of Africa and two from Canada, authorities said. The militants, who wore military uniforms and knew the layout, included explosives experts who rigged it with bombs and a leader whose final order was to kill all the captives. ... Mon, 21 Jan 2013 21:34:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1834706-inside-job-2-canadian-militants-algeria-siege.html 2013-01-21T21:34:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1833094-algeria-terror-leader-preferred-money-to-death.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Moktar Belmoktar is known abroad as the man who orchestrated the abduction of scores of foreigners last week at a BP-operated plant in the remote, eastern corner of Algeria, in a raid that led to many of their deaths. In the Sahara at least up until this week he was, ironically, known as the more pragmatic and less brutal of the comman... Sun, 20 Jan 2013 16:39:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1833094-algeria-terror-leader-preferred-money-to-death.html 2013-01-20T16:39:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1831568-algeria-32-militants-killed-with-23-hostages.html ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) — In a bloody finale, Algerian special forces stormed a natural gas complex in the Sahara desert on Saturday to end a standoff with Islamist extremists that left at least 23 hostages dead and killed all 32 militants involved, the Algerian government said. With few details emerging from the remote site in eastern Algeria, it was uncle... Sun, 20 Jan 2013 00:04:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1831568-algeria-32-militants-killed-with-23-hostages.html 2013-01-20T00:04:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1830340-africa-forces-role-mali-faces-diverse-snags.html DAKAR, Senegal (AP) — West African nations that promised to send troops to fight al-Qaida in Mali are finding it's a lot trickier than they'd hoped to actually get boots on the ground. Political debates, fears that fleeing militants might scatter abroad, and logistics — even feeding the troops— have stalled plans to deploy against the nimble jihadists in ... Fri, 18 Jan 2013 20:14:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1830340-africa-forces-role-mali-faces-diverse-snags.html 2013-01-18T20:14:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1819896-closer-west-african-nation-mali.html Here's a close look at the West African nation of Mali, where French forces launched a military operation last week to oust al-Qaida-linked militants who seized control of northern Mali about nine months ago: __ GEOGRAPHY: Mali is a vast, landlocked nation that straddles the Sahara Desert and whose borders touch Algeria to the north and Ivory Coast to the... Mon, 14 Jan 2013 18:09:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1819896-closer-west-african-nation-mali.html 2013-01-14T18:09:00Z http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1779980-french-engineer-kidnapped-north-nigeria.html LAGOS, Nigeria (AP) — More than 30 assailants stormed a house in northern Nigeria, killing two people and kidnapping a French engineer, in the latest abduction to hit the West African nation, officials said Thursday. The engineer, a contractor for French renewable energy firm Vergnet SA, appeared to have been the target, Katsina state police chief Abdulla... Thu, 20 Dec 2012 19:42:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/business/economy/1779980-french-engineer-kidnapped-north-nigeria.html 2012-12-20T19:42:00Z http://www.mail.com/news/world/1739746-leader-al-qaida-unit-mali-quits-aqim.html BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An Algerian-born jihadist who heads one of the most powerful and feared cells of al-Qaida's North African branch has decided to leave the al-Qaida franchise in order to create a movement spanning the entire Sahara desert, said one of his close associates and a local official who had been briefed on the matter on Monday. Moktar Belmokta... Mon, 03 Dec 2012 15:15:00 GMT http://www.mail.com/news/world/1739746-leader-al-qaida-unit-mali-quits-aqim.html 2012-12-03T15:15:00Z