French commandos rescued four foreign hostages, including two French citizens, from a militant group in Burkina Faso, France's military said Friday, adding that two of the elite soldiers were killed in the night-time operation.
French special forces carried out the raid under cover of dark over the night of Thursday-Friday, supported by U.S. intelligence and troops from France's Barkhane operation deployed in the Sahel region to counter Islamist militants.
All four hostages were safe, President Emmanuel Macron's office said, adding that a U.S. woman and a South Korean woman were also freed in the covert operation.