By Hajer M'tiri
PARIS (AA) - Two French soldiers were killed on Wednesday after their armored vehicle was targeted by an explosive device in Mali, according to an Elysee statement.
"It is with great emotion that the president of the Republic learned of the death in operation of two soldiers of the 1st Spahis Regiment of Valencia, killed this morning in Mali in an attack by an improvised explosive device targeting their armored vehicle," read the statement.
Since August 2014, the French force Operation Barkhane, has nearly 4,000 troops deployed in five West African countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Chad.
It helps in the fight against militant groups in the Sahel region, especially in Mali.