Niger to let U.S. forces arm drones against jihadis

NIAMEY – Niger will allow U.S. forces stationed in the country to arm the drones being used to track jihadis, having previously allowed their use only for surveillance, the government said Saturday. The decision comes a month after jihadis ambushed a joint U.S.-Niger patrol in a volatile area near the border with Mali, killing four American soldiers and four Nigerien troops. But Defense Minister Kalla Moutari said the decision had been taken before the Oct. 4 attack at Tongo Tongo. "It was a negotiation that had been under way for a while. Arming the drones is an option we decided on before we learned of the tragedy at Tongo Tongo," Moutari told state radio.