Two French soldiers killed in IED attack in eastern Mali

French President Emmanuel Macron's office says two French soldiers stationed in Mali were killed by an improvised explosive device (IED) on Saturday.

file photo, French President Emmanuel Macron, center left, visits soldiers of Operation Barkhane, France's largest overseas military operation, in Gao, Northern Mali. Macron said Tuesday Nov. 26, 2019, that a midair collision between two helicopters has killed 13 French soldiers fighting against Islamic extremists in Mali. (Christophe Petit Tesson, Pool via AP)

In a statement, Macron's office said they died on Saturday morning in eastern Mali when their vehicle drove over an IED while on an "intelligence mission." A third soldier is suffering from non-life-threatening injuries.

On December 29 a similar incident involving French soldiers in central Mali took place, this time killing three servicemen. It's not clear who planted the bomb. But the GSIM, an Al-Qaeda linked group, claimed responsible for Saturday's attack.

France has over 5,000 troops deployed in the West African nation since January of 2013 when the previous administration committed to helping its former colony drive out insurgent groups in the war-torn country.

Since its involvement in the war, France has now lost 49 soldiers.

By: Niza Nondo