INTERVIEW
This is the heaviest human toll suffered by the French military since their deployment in the Sahel in 2013. Following the death of thirteen French soldiers in Mali in the crash of two helicopters during a combat operation against jihadists, Colonel Frederic Barbry, spokesman for the Army Staff took over Tuesday evening, on Europe 1, the words of Emmanuel Macron and "bowed to the memory of [our] comrades dead for France" .
A night of level 5, "the worst you can imagine"
Guest of the Great Evening Newspaper of Europe 1, the colonel detailed the conditions in which these soldiers died, during a "mission of combat" which was made "under difficult and difficult conditions of flight". It was during a so-called level 5 night that the drama took place. "It's the worst night you can imagine," says Frédéric Barbry. "It's the darkest night, without moon, without any artificial light," says the former helicopter pilot, who states that "in the night vision binoculars, all the terrain is crushed." "You have a sort of grainy image, you have to constantly intellectualize and recreate the relief," he insists.
" These thirteen dead will remain in our hearts forever "Modern, the Tiger helicopters and the Cougar involved in this accident are not yet equipped with an anti-collision system. "One of the basic principles of airmobility is to be able to fly in tight formation, patrol, so these systems would be ineffective," said the spokesman of the Army Staff.
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Asked about the state of mind of the comrades of these thirteen soldiers "seasoned and trained" after such a tragedy, Colonel Barbry indicates "that it is the very principle of the resilience applied to the armies.These thirteen dead will remain in our hearts forever. " And to conclude: "However, [...] France has been called to restore a difficult situation, the mission continues, and we will do it with determination."