In a shocking turn of events, 13 french soldiers were killed in a helicopter crash in Northern Mali. President Emmanuel Macron expressed his condolences at the deaths, saluting the bravery of the French troops. The accident occurred as a result of a collision between two helicopters, one a Tigre the other a Cougar, while on operation tracking a militant group.
It is the worst single loss of French troops since its operation began to root out extremists using Mali's vast desert region as a launchpad for terrorist attacks in North Africa. The deadly crash comes weeks after a French soldier was killed by a roadside bomb while patrolling Mali's eastern border region. In addition to the French troops, the UN has around 15,000 peacekeeping troops stationed in the country.