France launches terrorism probe over attack in northern Benin

France opened a terrorism investigation into an attack on park rangers in northern Benin in which a French national was among eight people killed, while the African country reported the death of another person in a fresh attack.

The French government condemned the ambush in which five rangers along with their French instructor, a civilian park employee and a soldier were killed and 12 others wounded while on an anti-poaching mission in W National Park on Tuesday.

"The national anti-terrorist prosecutor's office has opened a probe with a charge of murder in connection with a terrorist undertaking after having been informed of the passing of a 50-year-old French national following a terrorist attack in the W park, north Benin," French prosecutors said in a statement.

Benin authorities reported a new attack on Thursday in which one civilian park employee was killed when a reconnaissance patrol hit an improvised explosive device.

Tuesday's incident was the deadliest in a string of attacks since December in northern Benin, where groups linked to al Qaeda and IS have spilled over from Burkina Faso and Niger.