French army says several jihadis killed in Mali operation

PARIS – France’s armed forces spokesman says that French soldiers killed “around 10” jihadis last week in Mali during an operation near the Niger border.

In comments to the AP Friday, Colonel Eric Steiger said the operation that took place on Saturday against “armed terrorists” in the northeast of the country came three days after another operation in Mali near the Algerian border killed several “enemy combatants” from “a different terrorist group.”

Two members of a French counterterrorism force in Mali were killed Wednesday after their armoured vehicle was hit by an explosive device.

On Friday, the European Union pledged an additional 50 million euros ($61 million) to a joint counterterror force in West Africa’s vast Sahel region — which includes Mali — that has fallen prey to extremists.