General Abdourahamane Tchiani, the head of the Niger’s National Council for the Safeguard of the Homeland, signed an order authorizing defense and security forces of Burkina Faso and Mali to enter the territory of Niger in case of an attack against it, the Agence Nigerienne de Presse (ANP) reported.

On August 24, head of the caretaker government Ali Lamine Zeine met with ministerial delegations from Mali and Burkina Faso, the news agency reported.

The delegations confirmed their desire to fight terrorism and extremism together with Niger, ANP said. Representatives of the three countries stressed "the need of strengthening cooperation mechanisms, intelligence data sharing and joint operations for purposes of increasing efficiency to counter the activity of terrorist groups," the news agency said.

Niger, Burkina Faso and Mali agreed "to provide each other with capabilities for mutual defense and help in the sphere of defense and security in case of an aggression or terrorist attacks," ANP reported.