The French military said on Friday that two helicopter crashes in Mali this week were not caused by ISIS fighters.
The organization in West Africa announced on Thursday that the helicopters collided after one of them retreated under the fire of its fighters, but gave no evidence.
"The fighters did not fire any of our helicopters," French Army Chief of Staff Francois Lecointre told RFI radio. The military said the planes crashed after accidentally colliding during a combat operation.
He said France had no plans to withdraw from Mali but needed more support from its allies.
France, a former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 to flush out terrorists who occupied the north of the country.
French President Emmanuel Macron said yesterday at a joint press conference with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that France was acting on behalf of everyone in the Sahel and urged its allies to do more.
Macron asked his government to study France's operations in the region well, saying "all options are open."
But French officials have ruled out withdrawing troops from the area, fearing it could lead to further chaos.