By Theodore Shoebat

French soldiers attacked and killed over thirty Islamic terrorists, according to a report from Reuters:

French soldiers killed more than 30 Islamist militants in Mali in three separate operations on Thursday and Friday targeting al Qaeda and Islamic Statrve-linked groups, France’s armed forces said.

France, the former colonial power in a number of West African countries, has about 4,500 soldiers in the region in its counter-terrorism taskforce Operation Barkhane. The United Nations has a 13,000-strong peacekeeping operation in Mali.

In the Gourma region, soldiers of the French Barkhane force killed about 20 militants and destroyed several vehicles, while in the Liptako region, a stronghold of Islamic State, 10 more were killed, the army said.

The operations involved a drone, warplanes and two helicopters, it said.

In December, French forces killed 33 Islamist militants in Mali using attack helicopters, ground troops and a drone near the border with Mauritania where a group linked to al Qaeda operates.