4 U.S. Army special forces killed in ambush

On Wednesday, four U.S. Army special forces soldiers were killed in Niger in a northwestern Africa after their joint patrol with Nigerien forces was ambushed. Four Niger forces also died, and two other Americans were wounded, according to U.S. Africa Command. The deaths mark the first known hostile-fire casualties in Niger. The attackers were described as coming from neighboring Mali, where Al-Qaida’s North Africa branch has been fighting the government and a French-led coalition. From wire reports

Staff Sgt. Aaron J. Jenne /U.S. Air Force via AP A U.S. Army team transfers the remains of Army Staff Sgt. Dustin Wright of Lyons, Ga., on Thursday upon arrival at Dover Air Force Base, Del. Wright, 29, was one of four U.S. troops and four Niger forces killed in an ambush by dozens of Islamic extremists.