French army chief refutes IS claim on Mali helicopter crash
- Country:
- Mali
Two French army helicopters that crashed in Mali on Tuesday had not been under fire from Islamic State jihadists, French army chief of staff François Lecointre said on French radio RFI on Friday. The crash was France's highest military toll since 1983 when 58 paratroopers were killed in a truck bombing in Lebanon
On Thursday, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) said the helicopters had collided after one of them retreated under fire from ISWAP fighters, but it did not provide any evidence for its claim, the SITE intelligence group reported.
Lecointre also said France had no intention of withdrawing from Mali but that it needs more support from its allies.
The helicopter collision drew in Mali global attention to an emerging front for IS-linked groups as IS loses strength in its core area in Syria and Iraq. Counterterror officials have worried about the risk of fighters fleeing that region for Africa's sprawling Sahel, the arid strip south of the Sahara Desert.
France intervened in Mali in 2013 after extremists seized control of major towns in the north and implemented a harsh version of Islamic law. They were forced back into the desert, where they have regrouped.
A new surge in extremist attacks in Mali has killed well over 100 local troops in the past two months, with IS often claiming responsibility. The extremists loot military posts and profit from mining operations.
(With inputs from agencies.)
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- ISWAP
- Mali helicopter crash
- Islamic State Mali
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