Late at night on Friday, January 7 two Frenchmen were kidnapped in Niamey, the capital city of Niger, while spending time at a bar. They were reportedly taken by four men in turbans, who are currently assumed to be tied to Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), who tried to take them to Mali. The kidnappers were quickly pursued by both the Niger military and French special forces, who spotted the group with a surveillance aircraft. When the group arrived at the border a firefight began and the two hostages were found dead.
The French President Nicolas Sarkozy has communicated his disgust in the kidnapping and the French government has also expressed remorse over the kidnappings. However, the French officials have stated that while they are trying to stop the actions of AQIM, the area of land the operate from is uncontrollable by law officials.
Spencer Darrow
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/world/africa/09niger.html?ref=europe
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