Pascal Guyot, AFP | File photo taken on March 10, 2016 of French soldiers on an Operation Barkhane patrol in Timbamogoye.

Two French soldiers were killed after their armoured vehicle was hit by an explosive device in Mali, the French president's office said on Wednesday.

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"It is with great sorrow that the President of the Republic learned of the death in combat of two soldiers from first regiment of Valencia, killed this morning in Mali in an improvised explosive device attack on their armoured vehicle,” said a statement released by the Élysée presidential office.

France has deployed around 4,000 French troops in the West Africa's Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane aimed at tackling Islamist militants in the region.

The Sahel region with its huge expanse of remote desert is home to several jihadist groups. The area has seen several armed attacks on targets in neighbouring Burkina Faso and Ivory Coast in recent years.

France began a military intervention in Mali in January 2013 to drive out al Qaeda-linked militants who hijacked a rebellion in 2012 by ethnic Tuaregs and attempted to take control of the central government in Bamako.

EU to double funding for Sahel security force

The French soldiers’ deaths came as the EU is set to double its funding for a joint African military force to fight jihadists in the Sahel region with a 50-million-euro boost, AFP reported Wednesday citing EU sources.

The bloc is expected to announce the new money for the G5 Sahel force, grouping Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger, at talks in Brussels on Friday which will be attended by French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The move comes as a surge in rebel attacks has underscored the challenge facing the five countries, among the poorest in the world, which are on the frontline of a war against Islamist militants.

Ambassadors from the 28 EU member states gave their approval for the funding on Tuesday, two European diplomats told AFP, adding to the 50 million euros ($62 million) Brussels provided in June to help set up the force.

More than $350 million has already been pledged for the G5 Sahel force but more is needed to help it reach its target of 5,000 properly trained and equipped troops to patrol hotspots and restore authority in lawless areas.

(FRANCE 24 with AFP and REUTERS)</s>Two French soldiers were killed after their armoured vehicle was hit by an explosive device in Mali, the French president’s office said on Wednesday.

France has deployed around 4,000 French troops in the West Africa’s Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane aimed at tackling Islamist militants in the region.</s>The French army said the attack took place near Mali's borders with Niger and Burkina Faso, a bastion of jihadist activity where three French soldiers were injured in an attack last month.

Their deaths brought to 12 the number of French soldiers killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than three years ago to quell jihadist activity in the former French colony of Mali and in neighbouring countries.

The soldiers were from a cavalry regiment based in Valence in southeastern France, President Emmanuel Macron's office said in a statement.

Their armoured vehicle hit the mine on the road between the town of Ansongo on the Niger river and Menaka, a bigger town about 200 kilometres to the east.

Macron sent condolences to the soldiers' families and said France was inflicting "severe blows" on extremists behind a string of attacks and kidnappings in recent years, some targeting Westerners.

The attack came after the Malian army said it had "inflicted heavy losses on the terrorists" in the Ansongo area on Tuesday.

The military said it found the bodies of two jihadists at the site of the clashes and killed "other terrorists" in mop-up operations. Eight soldiers and a civilian were injured in the operation, it said.

France intervened militarily in Mali in 2013 to help government forces drive al-Qaeda-linked jihadists out of the north.

Within two weeks the Sunni radicals had been flushed out of most urban areas but they continue to mount attacks from desert bases and expand into new territories.

Around 4,000 French troops are deployed under Operation Barkhane, alongside the UN's 12,000-strong MINUSMA peacekeeping operation in Mali.

France hopes a new five-country African force will progressively shoulder more of the counter-terrorism effort.

Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger will contribute troops to the force, which is expected to number 5,000 and become fully operational by mid-2018.</s>PARIS: Two French soldiers were killed and another was hurt Wednesday when their armoured vehicle struck a mine in Mali, the French presidency said.

Around 4,000 French troops are deployed in Mali and neighbouring countries to fight jihadist groups that have staged a string of attacks and kidnappings, some targeting Western nationals.

The two soldiers were from a cavalry regiment based in Valence, a city in southeastern France, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said in a statement, which did not say where the attack took place.

Macron sent condolences to the soldiers’ families and said the regional counter-terrorism operation had dealt “severe blows” to the enemy, the presidency added.

The deaths bring to 12 the number of French troops killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than three years ago to try to vanquish jihadist groups that overran northern Mali in 2012.

France intervened at Mali’s request in early 2013 and succeeded in driving the extremists back into the desert but they continue to mount attacks from their rear bases in the region.—AFP</s>PARIS (Reuters) - Two French soldiers were killed after their armored vehicle was hit by an explosive device in Mali, the French president's office said on Wednesday.

France has deployed around 4,000 French troops in the West Africa's Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane aimed at tackling Islamist militants in the region.

 

 (Reporting by Marine Le Pennetier, Jean-Baptiste Vey and Souleymane Ag Anara Writing by Bate FelixEditing by Ingrid Melander)</s>Two French soldiers were killed on Wednesday after their armored vehicle was targeted by an explosive device in Mali, according to an Elysee statement.

“It is with great emotion that the president of the Republic learned of the death in operation of two soldiers of the 1st Spahis Regiment of Valencia, killed this morning in Mali in an attack by an improvised explosive device targeting their armored vehicle,” read the statement.

Since Aug. 2014, the French force Operation Barkhane, has nearly 4,000 troops deployed in five West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad.

It helps in the fight against militant groups in the Sahel region, especially in Mali.</s>PARIS — Two French soldiers died in Mali when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said a soldier and an officer were killed Wednesday morning in the attack. They were part of an operation to fight “terrorism” in the West African country.

No further details, including the location in Mali of the deadly incident, were available.

France’s 4,000-strong counterterrorism force in Mali, part of Operation Barkhane, is meant to fight extremist groups in the African region of the Sahel, which also includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.

Macron praised the “courage” of the French soldiers and their determination to continue their mission, “which allows to strike blows against the enemy.”</s>Two French soldiers were killed after their armored vehicle was hit by an explosive device in Mali, the French president's office said on Wednesday. France has deployed around 4,000 French troops in West Africa’s Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane, which is aimed at tackling Islamist militants in the region. Scrubland in the region has been the scene of growing militant violence over the past year, some of which has been perpetrated by groups with links to Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) and Al-Qaeda, Reuters said. French forces pushed back a northern Islamist insurgency in Mali in 2013. However, since then attacks have spread further south towards the capital, Bamako, despite the presence of a UN peacekeeping mission.</s>The French army said the attack took place near Mali's borders with Niger and Burkina Faso, a bastion of group activity where three French soldiers were injured in an attack last month. 



 Their deaths brought to 12 the number of French soldiers killed since the start of Operation Barkhane, which was launched more than three years ago to quell group activity in the former French colony of Mali and in neighbouring countries.</s>The office of French president Emmanuel Macron said a soldier and an officer were killed on Wednesday morning in the attack. They were part of an operation to fight terrorism in the West African country.

France’s 4,000-strong counter-terrorism force in Mali, part of Operation Barkhane, is meant to fight extremist groups in the African region of the Sahel, which also includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.

Mr Macron praised the “courage” of the French soldiers and their determination to continue their mission, “which allows to strike blows against the enemy”.
Two French soldiers are killed after their armoured vehicle hits a roadside bomb in Mali.