MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 03rd November, 2020) French Defense Minister Florence Parly said on Tuesday that more than 50 radical militants with terrorist links had been eliminated in Mali in an operation by the Barkhane special force.
"On October 30, the Barkhane force carried out an operation, neutralizing more than 50 jihadists and confiscating their equipment and weapons," Parly said on Twitter, going on to thank the foreign-stationed French troops for their service.
According to a follow up tweet, the operation constituted a "significant blow" to a group affiliated with Al Qaeda (terrorist organization, banned in Russia).
Parly specified that she had informed the Malian transitional authorities about the success of the operation during a meeting.
"I have just met with the Malian transitional president, as well as the vice-president and the minister of defense and veterans. Frank and constructive exchanges," Parly tweeted.
The French defense minister added in a separate tweet that the Malian interim government was committed to organizing democratic elections in the Western African nation. Parly also welcomed "the involvement of the transitional authorities in the fight against terrorism."
In 2014, France launched its own Operation Barkhane to fight terrorists in the Sahel region. The mission was reinforced by the establishment of the G5 Sahel in 2017. Endorsed by the African Union, the 5,000-strong group brings together Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
