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.
