Two French special forces officers were killed in the West African nation of Burkina Faso on Friday, during a military operation that freed four people from the United States, France and South Korea who had been kidnapped in neighboring Benin.
PARIS — Two French special forces officers were killed in the West African nation of Burkina Faso on Friday, during a military operation that freed four people from the United States, France and South Korea who had been kidnapped in neighboring Benin, French officials said.
Four “terrorists” also were killed during the pre-dawn operation in northern Burkina Faso that was carried out to free the two French tourists, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said.
It was “an operation of rare difficulty” that grew more complex with the discovery of the American and South Korean hostages being held with the French citizens, Parly said.
Despite careful planning and American and Burkina support, “no one had any knowledge” of the presence of an American and a South Korean, she said at a news conference.
