"This morning, thanks to the engagement of our troops from the Barkhane force, we were able to neutralise 33 terrorists in the Sahel, catch one [militant] and free two Malian gendarme hostages. I am proud of our soldiers who protect us," he tweeted from Abidjan.
The French Embassy in Mali said that the operation had taken place in the Malian region of Mopti, a frontier in the French fight against Islamist insurgents who overran the northern part of the West African nation in 2012.