By Angella Semu
Thirteen French soldiers fighting jihadists have been killed in Mali following an accident involving two helicopters.
The office of the president has confirmed the reports on Tuesday.
As having being quoted by CNN, the statement from the office of the president said:
“The president announces with deep sadness the death of 13 French troops in Mali on the evening of Nov. 25, in an accident between their two helicopters during a combat mission against jihadists”.
According to the Defence Ministry, the helicopters involved are Tiger and Cougar and circumstances surrounding the accident remains unclear at the moment. The deaths of the 13 solders has brought the total number of French soldiers killed in the Sahel to 28.
“They were supporting commandos from the Barkhane force who were engaged with armed terrorists,” said the ministry.
France, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali six years ago to drive out Islamist militants who had occupied the north and still use swathes of the country as a launch pad for attacks across the largely desert region.
