Three French soldiers were killed in Libya on July 17 "while on a mission," the French Defense Ministry announced today (July 20, 2016) in the first official confirmation that French special forces have been active in Libya in operations against the Islamic State (IS), according to the Washington Post website.
The Defense Ministry declined to confirm the reported details of the soldiers' deaths, but President Francois Hollande -- addressing a military training center in southwestern France -- specifically mentioned a "helicopter crash."
An Islamist militia -- known as the Defending Benghazi Brigade -- asserted responsibility for the helicopter downing.
There are an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 Islamic State fighters across Libya, which has been gripped by unrest and political upheavals since a Western-aided uprising in 2011 deposed longtime dictator Moammar Gaddafi, who was captured and killed by rebels.
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