30 terrorists killed in Mali under Operation Barkhane

The French Armed Forces Ministry on Saturday informed that the French troops active under Operation Barkhane in Africa's Sahel region have managed to kill around 30 terrorists in Mali.

According to Sputnik, a statement by the Armed Forces Ministry read: "Overnight into November 23, 2018, the French forces part of the Operation Barkhane dealt a major blow to the Macina Liberation Front terror group in the Mopti area of Mali . At the current stage of the assessment of the operation, we can see that around 30 terrorists were neutralized."

According to the statement, there are reports of Hamadoun Kouffa, leader of the Macina Liberation Front Islamist group, and his key associated being affected by the operation carried out by the French troops.

Apart from Mali, Operation Barkhane that commenced on 1 August 2014 entails Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.

In 2012, Tuareg militants had seized vast territories in the northern part of Mali following which the situation destabilised in the country. The conflicts further increased due to the French interference, Islamists, as well as forces loyal to former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.