Niger military says troops seize drugs, guns in northern mountains

NIAMEY (Reuters) - Niger's soldiers intercepted a shipment of nearly three tonnes of cannabis being escorted by a group of heavily armed smugglers in the mountains of northern Niger, the West African country's defence ministry said late on Monday. The seizure occurred on Sunday in the Air Mountains, an area regularly traversed by criminal gangs, some with links to Islamist militant groups, to smuggle drugs and migrants into northern Africa and then onward to Europe. The ministry said in a statement that 10 people were arrested. Three vehicles as well as machine-guns, assault rifles, a grenade launcher and ammunition were seized during the operation, which was carried out by soldiers from Niger and a partner nation. The statement did not name the partner country. French troops are deployed to northern Niger, but French military sources in the country were not immediately reachable for comment.