France withdraws Mirage 2000Ds from Niger

France has withdrawn its two Dassault Mirage 2000D fighters from Niamey that had been supporting Operation 'Barkhane', France's anti-insurgency campaign in the Sahara-Sahel region of Africa.
The aircraft had been deployed in Niger from April 2014, after it was deemed necessary to base some strike assets closer to Mali than France's air base at N'Djamena in Chad. However, on 18 February they were withdrawn to allow their reassignment to Jordan to support France's efforts against the Islamic State.
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