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French forces said they have killed more than 50 terrorists and captured another four in an operation in Mali. The French defense minister said the action was a severe blow to al-Qaeda.
The French government said on Monday that more than 50 terrorists linked to the al-Qaeda group were killed in Central Mali during an operation launched by its anti-jihadist force in the region last week.
“I would like to reveal a very important operation that was carried out on October 30 in Mali by the Barkhane force, which managed to neutralize more than 50 jihadists and confiscated weapons and equipment,” said French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
“Four terrorists have been caught,” said French military spokesman Colonel Frederic Barbry.
Explosives and a suicide vest were found, he told reporters, adding that the group was “about to attack an (army) position in the region.”
The French operation was carried out in an area near the Burkina Faso and Niger borders where government troops are fighting an Islamic insurgency, Parly said after a meeting with members of Mali’s transitional government in the capital city of Bamako. .
The offensive was launched after a drone detected a “very large” motorcycle caravan in the “three borders” area, he said.
When the insurgents took cover under trees to escape surveillance, French forces sent two Mirage fighter jets and a drone to launch missiles, “neutralizing” the terrorists, Parly said, adding that some 30 motorcycles were destroyed.
Parly said the military action was a significant blow to a local terror group that has ties to al-Qaida through the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), a regional jihadist alliance.
The defense minister arrived in Bamako after meeting with Nigerian President Mahamadou Issoufou and his Nigerian counterpart Issoufou Katambe.
His visit to Mali comes after his interim government secured the release of four captives held by Islamist groups, in exchange for some 200 prisoners, some of whom are believed to be terrorists.
One of the released captives was Sophie Petronin, 75, the last remaining French hostage in the world.
France has deployed more than 5,000 soldiers in the Sahel region to fight the insurgents.
