The French defense ministry confirmed on Saturday that the two French nationals kidnapped in Niger on Friday were already killed during a chasing operation led by the Nigerien National Guard.

Earlier in the day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy confirmed the abduction of two French nationals in Niger on Friday night by four armed men while they dined in a restaurant in Niamey.

"An operation (to chase the kidnappers) is underway and everyone will understand that for security reasons, I can not give more information ... I'm following the unfolding of this tragic case minute by minute," Sarkozy said earlier during a trip to Schoelcher in the overseas department of Martinique.

According to a statement from the French defense ministry, the militants were immediately chased by the Nigerien National Guard to prevent them from joining a refuge area on the border with Mali, but that operation "constituted a serious threat" to the hostages.

The hostages' bodies were found after a military interception against the kidnappers, the statement said, adding that Defense Minister Alain Juppe had sent condolences to the families of the victims.

The hostages were a worker in a non-governmental organization due to get married next week, and a friend visiting Niger to attend the wedding, according to local media reports.

French authorities recognized the effort of Nigerien security forces to fight terrorism, the statement added.

Friday's abduction was the second kidnapping targeting French nationals in Niger after the North African wing of al-Qaida (AQIM) seized last September seven workers of the French nuclear group Areva and its sub-contractors in the Arlit region near the Algerian border.

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