Three West African countries run by military juntas say they will form a joint force to fight jihadist threats
Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso announced the formation of the force following talks in the Nigerien capital Niamey.
Niger’s army chief Moussa Salaou Barmou announced it would be operational as soon as possible, without giving details of its size.
Groups linked to both Islamic State and al-Qaeda have killed thousands of people in the region in the past year.
The military regimes in the three countries have become increasingly close allies in recent months.
Last September, they formed a mutual defence pact known as the Alliance of Sahel States (AES), withdrawing from an international force, G5, that was set up to fight Islamists in the region.
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