Thirteen French soldiers have died after two military helicopters collided in Mali, one of the worst incidents in the past few years.
According to French Defense Ministry data, the two Cougar and Tiger helicopters collided by mistake, and the Operations Command was pursuing a group of terrorists found on a road on motorbikes and pickups, a few hours before the attack. Collision.
According to the data, the collision occurred at around 19.49 (local time) at a low altitude in the Liptako financial area. No one aboard the helicopters survived the accident.
The French presidential palace "Elysee" in Paris on Tuesday that the incident occurred on Monday evening during a combat mission against armed groups.
French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences to the families of the soldiers, praising the courage of the soldiers. "They died for France in the fierce fight against terrorism" in the Sahel, he wrote on the social networking site Twitter. I bow before the pain of their loved ones and colleagues. "
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe wrote on Twitter: "We owe these heroes who have fallen for our country an endless gratitude."
According to Elysee data, the dead were six officers, six non-commissioned officers and a corporal.
France is engaged in battles in Mali and other Sahel countries with Barkhan forces against armed groups. The force has about 4,500 troops.
Many armed groups are active in the Sahel countries, which stretch from the Atlantic to the Red Sea sub-Saharan Africa. Some of these groups are loyal to the Islamic State and al-Qaeda terrorist organizations.