For Pascal Ianni, Colonel of the Army, the end of Operation Barkhane in Mali is a "status imposed by the transitional authorities and the Malian junta".
He affirms that the French army will continue its fight against armed terrorist groups in the Sahelo-Saharan strip and in the Gulf of Guinea, in a posture of "support and support for local armies", and according to their requests.
The spokesperson for the general staff of the armies wanted to send a thought to all those who "have fallen in the Sahel", adding that their commitment "testifies to that of the French armies in their fight against armed terrorist groups."
Since 2013, 53 French soldiers have lost their lives in combat in Mali, the latest being Brigadier Alexandre Martin killed in January in a mortar attack.
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