3 US Special Forces troops reportedly killed in Niger

Three US Army Special Forces troops were killed and two were wounded while conducting a patrol with Niger troops in southwest Niger on Wednesday, The New York Times reported.

The joint patrol, conducted to train Niger troops, was considered routine, according to US military officials who also said that eight to ten US troops were part of the patrol, Fox News reported.

Five Nigerien soldiers were also killed, according to an official for the region of Tillaberi, Niger.

"We can confirm reports that a joint US and Nigerien patrol came under hostile fire in southwest Niger," a spokesman for US Africa Command said. The US military has had a presence in the volatile region for several years.

In 2013, the US set up a drone base in Niger to combat extremist organizations in West Africa, including the Islamic Stte, Boko Haram, and an affiliate of Al Qaeda.