French government officials say the country is planning a co-ordinated strike against ISIS with the United States.
Advertisement
“At this moment we are carrying out unsafe intelligence operations [in Libya]”, Hollande said in a speech.
Three French soldiers have been killed in a helicopter accident in Libya, President Francois Hollande has said.
However, he confirmed that French special forces were present in the country. They had also been training Libyan forces.
“Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian deplores the death of three non-commissioned officers while operating in Libya”, the ministry said. Some media reports indicate that the three died during a helicopter mission. Citing officials in Libya, the agency reported that Islamist militia downed a helicopter outside Benghazi, killing the Special Forces soldiers who were on board. The militia said it had used an SA-7 shoulder-fired missile and heavy machine guns to down the aircraft belonging to forces under General Khalifa Haftar, the head of armed forces based in Libya’s east, the report added.
IS, which directed last year’s attacks on France’s national stadium and Paris nightspots, claimed the attack was the work of one of its “soldiers”.
Advertisement
Paris took a leading role in the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation air campaign that helped rebels overthrow autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. In between the two are insurgent group, the Islamic State (IS). The U.N. brokered a deal in December, which tried to mend the rift by creating a presidency council and a unity government. Led by Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, it is considered the only legitimate power by the UN Security Council.
