At least one French commando was killed during a daring raid Friday night to rescue a French intelligence operative held hostage in Somilia. The captive officer, identified as Denis Allex, was killed by his captors during the operation, the French defense minister said Saturday. A second commando remained unaccounted for.
A statement by the defense ministry said that two commandoes had been killed, but there appeared to be some confusion within the ministry about the status of the second commando.
The raid also resulted in the death of 17 Somali fighters, according to the defense ministry.
“Faced with the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three and a half years and who were holding Denis Allex in inhumane conditions, an operation was planned and carried out,” the ministry said. “During the assault, violent combat took place.”
The raid came as France sent troops into the African nation of Mali to help the government beat back advances by Islamic rebels. The Somali raid to get Mr. Allex led to speculation that the French government was trying to prevent reprisals for its actions in Mali.
But the French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said during a news conference on Saturday that the two operations were not connected. The Associated Press reported that an official with the Somali militant group al-Shabab confirmed that fighting began after helicopters dropped off soldiers.
“Five helicopters attacked a house in in the town. They dropped soldiers off the ground, so that they could reach their destination,” the official said.
In 2009, a French raid to free a yacht that had been captured by Somali pirates resulted in the death of a captive, Florent Lemaçon.
French Soldier Killed in Somalia Commando Raid
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French Soldier Killed in Somalia Commando Raid
