Operation Barkhane soldier dies in Mali
(B2) A soldier from the 6th engineer regiment of Angers died in an ambush, Wednesday, April 5, in eastern Mali, confirmed the French Ministry of Defense and the Elysée. Master Corporal Julien Barbé died following a " clash with terrorists during an operation in the south-east of this country » near the Burkina Faso border.
An ambush with IED
Around 16:30 p.m., one of the detachment's armored vehicles was attacked by an explosive device. The explosion slightly injured two soldiers who were immediately rescued by medical teams » French. The engineer detachment was then deployed to take the " safeguard measures and allow the operation to resume. It was during this work that the detachment was " attacked by direct fire, fatally hitting Master Corporal Julian Barbé ».
Anti-terrorist operation on the border of Burkina Faso
The incident occurred during a tripartite military operation by the French Barkhane force with Malian and Burkinabe units in the border area south of Hombori, 200 km south-west of Gao, specifies the ministry of Defense. An operation probably to be linked to the anti-terrorist campaign of the three countries in the region. French helicopters, armored vehicles and soldiers from three countries - France, Mali and Burkina Faso - have been acting since March 26 in concert in a cross-border cooperation operation called " Panga ". The objective is to flush out terrorists who are hiding there, particularly in the Fhero forest which extends on both sides of the border between Mali and Burkina Faso. This forest is home to many terrorists, according to security sources. " Our goal is to flush them out, or at least disturb them and get them out. »Reports RFI.
Since January 2013, 19 French soldiers have died in Mali.
(LH)