Fifth French soldier killed in Mali fighting
A French soldier watches a controlled explosion in the northern Mali town of Gao, on February 14, 2013. By Pascal Guyot (AFP/File)
PARIS (AFP) - A French corporal was killed during fighting in northern Mali, bringing to five the number of French deaths since the January 11 intervention to oust armed Islamist groups, President Francois Hollande's office said Sunday.
The statement did not elaborate on the circumstances of the soldier's death and paid tribute to the French forces involved in "the final and most difficult phase of their mission" in Mali.