Islam Times - Two French Troops Killed in Mali Attack

Islam Times - Two French troops have been killed in Mali after their armored vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron said a soldier and an officer were killed Wednesday morning in the attack. They were part of French forces located in the West African country to ostensibly combat 'terrorism.

No further details, including the location in Mali of the deadly incident, were available.

France's 4,000-strong force in Mali, part of Operation Barkhane, is allegedly meant to fight extremist groups in the African region of the Sahel, which also includes Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger.

The terrorist threat has given France a perfect pretext of reestablishing a strong military presence in the African countries with critics saying that if Paris harbors no ulterior motives, it should work towards boosting the capacity of African armies instead of sending troops to the continent.

Today, France maintains thousands of troops across Africa with thousands more serving as ‘UN peacekeepers’ in countries such as Ivory Coast and the Central African Republic where they are accused of not only failing but actually abetting the genocide of Muslims perpetrated by Christian militia.

Many analysts argue that increased French military presence in West Africa has nothing to do with fighting terrorists but is a strategic move aimed at reestablishing control of the region’s vast mineral wealth.