3 GIs killed in Niger

Three Army Green Berets were killed and two others were wounded when US forces came under attack Wednesday in the West African nation of Niger, officials said.

The troops were ambushed during a routine patrol near the NigerMali border. They had been training members the Nigerien Armed Forces, a US defense official said.

Military spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Anthony Falvo would give no more details but said, “We can confirm reports that a joint US and Nigerien patrol came under hostile fire in southwest Niger.”

Officials told The Associated Press that the commandos were likely targeted by al Qaeda’s North African branch, al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb.

The deaths mark the first time that American soldiers have been killed while training armed forces in Niger.

The US military has been in the country providing training and security assistance to Nigerien soldiers following the rise of the ISIS-affiliated Boko Haram terror group and al Qaeda.

Terrorists have maintained a strong presence in the region since at least 2014.