According to Fox News Pentagon reporter Lucas Tomlinson, “US special operations forces [were] attacked in Niger in joint patrol with Nigerian forces, multiple casualties feared, officials say.”

BREAKING: Squad of U.S. Special Operations troops were ambushed in Niger, near the border with Mali, U.S. officials told Fox News

UPDATE: Three U.S. Special Forces troops are killed, two wounded in Niger ambush

Fox News reports:

A squad of U.S. Special Operations troops were ambushed in Niger, near the border with Mali, U.S. officials told Fox News Wednesday.

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U.S. Africa Command confirmed that a joint patrol of U.S. and Nigerien soliders came under fire in the southwestern part of the country. The statement did not mention any casualties, but officials are concerned there may be fatalities.

The officials told Fox News that between eight and 10 troops were part of the patrol.

The U.S. military set up a drone base in Niger in 2013 as part of a continuing effort against extremist organizations in West Africa. The landlocked country is one of the poorest nations in the world.