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More than 50 jihadists were killed in a French airstrike in Mali on Friday, according to French Defense Minister Florence Parly.
Parly says a military drone discovered a large motorcycle convoy in the area where Mali borders Burkina Faso and Niger. The people in the convoy were identified as members of Al Qaeda, who when they discovered the drone tried to hide in the trees.
Two French Mirage planes and a drone flew in, fired robots and “neutralized” them, says Florence Parly. It adds that weapons and equipment were seized and that some 30 motorcycles were destroyed.
Four people were captured, according to a French army spokesman. Another major operation is said to be underway in the framework of the French Operation Barkhane, where 3,000 soldiers have been deployed against the IS terrorist group in the Sahara.
France has stationed just over 5,000 soldiers in the Barkhane region of the Sahel. In addition to this, the UN Minusma mission is underway in Mali, with 13,000 men.
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