Niamey, Niger

Green Berets killed: Four U.S. Army Green Berets were killed in Niger last week after their joint patrol with Nigerian troops was ambushed by a large force of Islamist extremists. Four Nigerian soldiers were killed and two more U.S. officers wounded in the 30-minute firefight. The patrol was attacked by up to 50 militants in vehicles and on motorbikes as it left a meeting with tribal elders in Niger near the Mali border; U.S. officials said extremists linked to ISIS were likely behind the ambush. Some 800 U.S. troops are in Niger training and assisting regional forces to fight multiple extremist groups, including al Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, ISIS, and Boko Haram. The four fallen soldiers were based out of Fort Bragg, N.C.