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mali. The French carry out a helicopter raid near the Algerian border

 (credit: EMA / MOD France – May 2017 – Recovery of men by helicopter – Archives B2)

(B2 with AFP) On the night of February 13 to 14, 2018, French forces engaged in the Sahel carried out an operation on three objectives of armed terrorist groups, in the northeast of Mali, between Boughessa and Tin-Zaouatène, indicated Thursday the army general staff. In fact a few hundred meters from the Algerian border.

Near Algeria

The operation took place near Inaghalawass, a wadi 900 meters from the Algerian border, between 4:40 a.m. and 5:20 a.m. (GMT and local) », A foreign security source present in Mali told AFP. “ It was the base of the head of the network, Iyad Ag Ghaly, in Tinzaouatène which was the main target of this operation. ».

Airstrikes and helicopter assaults

The operation began with simultaneous airstrikes on the objectives, followed by helicopter assaults supported by Tiger helicopters and concluded by a ground engagement ". The balance sheet, provisoire at this stage is of a " twenty terrorists killed or captured, three vehicles destroyed, weapons recovered, as well as a large number of documents seized ". A relative of the jihadist leader, a former colonel in the Malian army who had defected, was killed in this raid, said the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa).

Several security operations in the area of ​​the three borders

At the same time, several joint security operations (with Malian forces) were conducted in the three-border area (between Mali, Niger and Algeria) by Operation Barkhane. The operations were mainly concentrated around Ménaka. Joint patrols with the Malian armed forces were also conducted in Ansongo by the French military present under the operational military partnership. In northern Mali, the "Terre Désert Cuirassier" group was engaged in security and area control operations on the axis linking Almoustarat and Tarikent. Joint patrols were conducted with the Malian armed forces.

(NGV and AFP)

Nicolas Gros Verheyde

Chief editor of the B2 site. Graduated in European law from the University of Paris I Pantheon Sorbonne and listener to the 65th session of the IHEDN (Institut des Hautes Etudes de la Défense Nationale. Journalist since 1989, founded B2 - Bruxelles2 in 2008. EU/NATO correspondent in Brussels for Sud-Ouest (previously West-France and France-Soir).