<p>For the past year, the French army has been waging a war against what it calls "armed terrorist groups" across five African countries. Operation Barkhane stretches from Mauritania, Mali and Niger to Chad and Burkina Faso. </p><br />French troops work closely with African soldiers on the ground, with each side bringing valuable advantages. Our journalists were embedded with French and Nigerien forces on one of their joint patrols in the desert.<br />>> Watch our previous report: Fighting terror from France’s military outpost in Niger<br />Programme prepared by Patrick Lovett<br /><br />Visit our website:<br />http://www.france24.com<br /><br />Like us on Facebook:<br />https://www.facebook.com/FRANCE24.English<br /><br />Follow us on Twitter:<br />https://twitter.com/France24_en
