France: A French soldier has died during a maintenance operation in northern Mali, Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Wednesday. Now it brings Ā Franceās death toll since the start of anti-jihadist operations in the region to 53.
The military official Gabriel Attal, said in a statement the serviceman died after the truck cabin fell while he was working on the vehicle's engine. It also said it was investigating the precise causes of the accident. The soldier, aged 29, was a mechanic specialist for the army. AĀ FrenchĀ serviceman was killed last month in a clash with an armed militant group in Mali.
A total of 53Ā FrenchĀ soldiers have died in the region sinceĀ ParisĀ deployed a counterterrorism force in 2013 to drive backĀ IslamistĀ militant groups that had seized cities and towns in northern Mali. A poor and landlocked nation, Mali continues to battle jihadist attacks and intercommunal violence, which often spill over to neighbouring countries. France has commenced re-organisingĀ its forces in the regionĀ this year, including by pulling out of its northernmost bases in Mali at Kidal, Timbuktu and Tessalit.
Total French troops in the region are to be cut from 5,000 today to between 2,500 and 3,000 by 2023.
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