Two French Soldiers Killed In Bomb Blasts In Mali

JAKARTA - A bomb explosion occurred in Northeast Mali, on Saturday night. The incident killed two French soldiers who were on duty.

Launching from the France24 page, the office of the French Presidency said the bomb that killed two soldiers was a homemade bomb. This incident occurred several days after three French soldiers died in the explosion.

French President Emmanuel Marcon also expressed his condolences to the soldiers who died in the incident. It is known that the two victims were Sergeant Yvonne Huynh and Brigadier Loic Risser who were on duty in the Menaka region, Northeast of Mali.

"(President Macron) salutes the memory of these soldiers with great respect," the president's office said in a statement.

Two French soldiers killed during operation in Mali https://t.co/A9tpXLtTbs pic.twitter.com/mqjFNwE3rp

- FRANCE 24 (@ FRANCE24) January 2, 2021

This incident adds to the casualties of French soldiers who died on a security mission in Mali. Since France first intervened in the military in January 2013 to help expel Islamic jihadists who have controlled parts of the west African country.

So far Macron has affirmed France's determination to continue its role in the "war on terrorism". The group linked to Al-Qaeda in Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM) has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Where previously a bomb attack also killed three French soldiers in the center of the Sahel state. The incident occurred on Monday after the armored vehicle they were riding in hit the explosive device.

The group, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel, cited a range of reasons for the attacks including the continued French military presence in the region, cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad published by a French newspaper and Macron's defense of them in the name of freedom.