13 killed in French military helicopter collision in Mali

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TheGreenGoblin
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13 killed in French military helicopter collision in Mali

#1 Post by TheGreenGoblin » Tue Nov 26, 2019 6:17 pm

France on Tuesday mourned the death of thirteen soldiers in a helicopter collision in Mali - its worst military loss in four decades - amid calls for its allies to shoulder more of the effort against insurgents in the Sahel.

The accident came as some senior French officials urge a strategic rethink in the vast area that has seen a flare-up of jihadist violence despite a 4,500-strong force in Mali and four other West African countries.

The soldiers died when two helicopters collided in a nocturnal operation to bolster ground troops hunting jihadists in the Liptako region, near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger.
A Tiger attack helicopter hit a Cougar military transport helicopter while engaging the enemy fleeing on motorbikes and in pick-up trucks. There were no survivors.


It was the biggest loss of French troops in a single day since an attack in Beirut 36 years ago when 58 soldiers died.
Mali helicopter collision


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