French soldier killed in northern Mali

A French soldier was killed in a mine attack in Mali overnight Friday. The soldier died from extensive wounds after a mine blew up near an armoured vehicle he was in while on patrol in the north of the country.

French soldiers of the Barkhane counter terrorism operation and former Tuareg rebels of the Coordination of Azawad Movements (CMA) patrol in a street on October 25, 2016, in Kidal, northern Mali, in a territory dominated by former rebels and jihadists. STRINGER / AFP

In a statement President Francois Holllande sent his condolences to the family and friends of the soldier and acknowledged the “sacrifice this man made in the defence of our country.

His death brings the total number of military personnel killed in Mali since the beginning of January 2013 when the French operation in Mali began, to 18.

The last attacks occurred in April when three soldiers were also killed in the north of the country by a mine which exploded near their armored vehicle close to the town of Tessalit.

Six other French soldiers were injured in similar conditions in Mali last month.

Jihadists still control some areas of northern Mali even though they have been largely driven from the area by French and Malian forces.