NIGER,MALI AND BURKINA FASO TO FORM JOIN FORCES TO FIGHT JIHADISTS

Niger's army chief Moussa Salaou Barmou announced it would be operational as soon as possible, without giving details of its size.He spoke in a televised speech on Wednesday following talks in the capital Niamey.Groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda have killed thousands of people in the region in the past year.