French, Malian troops kill 30 jihadists: French military

Thirty jihadists were killed in a clash with French and Malian troops near Mali's border with Niger, the French military said today.

The fight, involving a group of about 60 jihadists, took place on Sunday in the Akabar area, spokesman Colonel Patrik Steiger said, adding that Malian forces sustained "losses" but there were no French casualties.