French forces neutralised over 50 jihadists in Mali, says defence minister

French forces neutralised over 50 jihadists in central Mali during an operation on Friday, Defence Minister Florence Parly said on Monday.

"I would like to reveal an operation of great importance which was carried out on October 30 in Mali by the Barkhane force, which was able to neutralize more than 50 jihadists," Parly said on Mali state television during a visit to the West African nation. The offensive took place on Friday in an area near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger, where government troops are struggling to rout an Islamic insurgency, she added.

Parly said it was a significant blow to al Qaeda. Defense Minister Florence Parly tweeted on Monday night that the French force in the region, called Barkhane, also confiscated weapons and equipment from the fighters in the operation last Friday, which she said, "shows once again that terrorist groups cannot act with impunity."

Parly is currently visiting Mali's capital Bamako, where she met with the head of the transitional government.

France has been facing a spate of terror attacks in the recent past over the caricatures of Prophet Mohammed and the eventual comment of French President Emmanuel Macron.

(With agency inputs)