Two French soldiers killed in Mali -French presidency

Two French soldiers died in an operation in Mali on Saturday and a third was injured when an improvised explosive device hit their armoured vehicle, the French presidency said. The soldiers were on a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering mission in the eastern region of Menaka when the blast occurred late Saturday morning, the joint chiefs of staff said in a statement.

Two French soldiers died in an operation in Mali on Saturday and a third was injured when an improvised explosive device hit their armoured vehicle, the French presidency said.

The soldiers were on a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering mission in the eastern region of Menaka when the blast occurred late Saturday morning, the joint chiefs of staff said in a statement. The injured soldier's life was not in danger, the presidency said.

Less than a week ago three French soldiers were killed in Mali also by an improvised explosive device during a mission in the southern region of Hombori. Al Qaeda's North Africa wing has said it was responsible for that attack, jihadist monitoring organisation SITE Intel reported on Saturday.

The soldiers in both cases were part of France's Barkhane military operations in Mali against Islamic fighters.

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