Two French soldiers have been killed in a military operation in the West African nation of Burkina Faso that freed two French tourists and two others kidnapped in neighboring Benin. In a statement Friday, French President Emmanuel Macron expressed condolences for the two soldiers killed in the overnight operation. He promised support to Burkina Faso and Benin in fighting terrorism in the Sahel region. The statement did not indicate who was holding the tourists or the identity of the other two people who were released. The tourists failed to return from a visit last week to the Pendjari National Park wildlife reserve. Their guide was later found dead. Islamic extremists have become increasingly active in Burkina Faso, raising worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well.<doc-sep>An American citizen is among a group of four hostages who have been freed in western Africa following a French special forces military operation that resulted in the deaths of two of their own soldiers, the Elysee announced Friday. France said the hostages were rescued Thursday night following a battle in Burkina Faso. PASTOR, 5 OTHERS KILLED IN BURKINA FASO CHURCH ATTACK The statement from France said President Emmanuel Macron "bows with emotion and gravity at the sacrifice of our two soldiers, who gave their lives to save those of our fellow citizens". They were identified as petty officers Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello. A Facebook post by the French Navy added that both men received numerous awards and recognitions throughout their military careers, such as the Gold Level of the National Defense Medal. The hostages who were rescued, according to France, were a U.S. citizen, a South Korean national, and French nationals Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas. The Frenchmen were tourists who were kidnapped during a safari in Benin last week, Reuters reported. The circumstances surrounding the capture of the other two were not immediately clear. TRUMP SAYS US CITIZEN WHO WAS HELD HOSTAGE IN YEMEN FOR 18 MONTHS HAS BEEN FREED According to one security source on the ground, Benin – where the hostages were taken – has been especially unstable following parliamentary elections in March, after electoral authorities ruled that only two parties - both loyal to the current President Patrice Talon – met the requirements to take part. “This generated to a high-level of vulnerability coupled with instability in the borders of Burkina Faso,” said the source. “The kidnap has all the markings of the interplay between organized kidnapping gangs and jihadist groups. The death of the two French Special Forces indicates the strength and depth of these groups in capacity, local knowledge, and atmospherics.” Another U.S. intelligence analyst in the region pointed out that an array of militias have “expanded operations” and that the situation has become especially inflamed in recent months. Islamic extremists have become increasingly active in Burkina Faso, raising worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well. While it is not yet clear who abducted the group and why, neighboring Burkina Faso – once considered a beacon of calm in the otherwise terror-teeming region – has been a growing hotbed for some time. Over the past six months, at least 5,000 people have been killed in the Sahel – the sub-Saharan region of northern Africa – amid an escalation of inter-ethnic violence ranging from bombings to massacres to suicide attacks. Fox News also reported last year that Al Qaeda too had gained a foothold in the region, spilling over the porous border from Mali with weapons obtained in leftover Gaddafi stockpiles ascertained in Libya seven years ago. Notably, abductions have also risen in the region and officials have been cautioning that more and more terrorist groups view seizing foreign tourists as a chance to fund their violent reigns with ransom payments. The Sahel region near where the French citizens were kidnapped is as an ecological transition zone between the Sahara desert and Africa’s savannahs farther south. It has been roamed by militants in recent years who have targeted French nationals and other Europeans for kidnappings and demanded millions of dollars for their release. NGO groups operating on the ground also told Fox News that while French passports were once considered relatively safe compared to other nationalities like the U.S., they have become especially red-flagged by armed groups. As it stands, more than 4,500 French troops are deployed to the area. While the identity of the freed American has not been public, one former Pentagon official stressed that there are U.S. citizens – not just tourists – who have vanished from the area in recent areas, one of importance being aid worker Jeffrey Woodke, now 59, who was last seen in Niger in October 2016. The U.S. State Department, in a travel advisory issued in early April, warned Americans to "reconsider travel" to Burkina Faso as "terrorist groups continue plotting attacks and kidnappings... and may conduct attacks anywhere." CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP The Associated Press contributed to this report.<doc-sep>See the recovery efforts in Gaza as ceasefire appears to hold 'Is everything I'm trying to do pointless? ': Syrians helpless in face of 'sham' election Brother of journalist detained in Myanmar says family is hopeful Report: US companies may have benefited from forced labor of Uyghurs Residents stand near stalls along a road amidst debris while strong winds batter Balasore district in Odisha state on May 26, 2021 as Cyclone Yaas barrels towards India's eastern coast in the Bay of Bengal. (Photo by Dibyangshu SARKAR / AFP) (Photo by DIBYANGSHU SARKAR/AFP via Getty Images) France's President Emmanuel Macron (L) and Rwanda's President Paul Kagame speak as they walk in the grounds of The Presidential Palace in Kigali on May 27, 2021, after their press conference and prior to their official luncheon. - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Rwanda on May 27, 2021, for a highly symbolic visit aimed at moving on from three decades of diplomatic tensions over France's role in the 1994 genocide in the country. Macron is the first French leader since 2010 to visit the East African nation, which has long accused France of complicity in the killing of some 800,000 mostly Tutsi Rwandans. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP) (Photo by LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images) Relative of detained Iranian-Americans fears they will not survive This handout photo released by the Marine Nationale on May 10, 2019 shows French soldiers Cedric de Pierrepont, left, and Alain Bertoncello posing at un undisclosed location after French forces have freed two French hostages as well as an American and a South Korean in northern Burkina Faso in a military raid that cost the lives of the two soldiers, the French presidency said on May 10. - The operation was ordered to free the French hostages, identified as Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who disappeared while on holiday in the remote Pendjari National Park in Benin on May 1. (Photo by HO / MARINE NATIONALE / AFP) / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO / MARINE NATIONAE " - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS - BEST QUALITY AVAILABLEHO/AFP/Getty Images (CNN) — French forces freed four hostages, including an American and South Korean, during a night-time rescue in Burkina Faso in which two soldiers were killed, according to a statement from France’s Elysee Palace on Friday. The US military supported the French-led operation between Thursday and Friday in the northern Sahel region, according to two US officials. The Elysee statement added that two of the hostages were French citizens, named as Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas. The identity of the kidnappers is still unknown, and the American and South Korean hostages, who are female, remain unnamed. Picque and Lassimouillas were kidnapped on May 1 while in the neighboring West African country of Benin, according to the Elysee. Their safari guide was found dead in Pendjari National Park and their vehicle was burned, Reuters reported. Handout/AFP French soldiers Cedric de Pierrepont, left, and Alain Bertoncello were killed in the operation. French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian “saluted the sacrifice” of the soldiers killed in combat and expressed his “condolences to their families and loved ones,” in a separate statement sent to CNN. The Elysee named the soldiers as Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello. One of the US officials said its support was in the form of overhead intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance. The official added that US troops did not directly participate in the actual combat portion of the operation. French Minister for the Armed Forces Florence Parly thanked American allies for their “precious support” in the rescue. In a statement released on Friday, she thanked “the Beninese and Burkinabe for their cooperation,” adding, “I salute the precious support of our American allies in conducting this operation.” Parly also paid tribute to the two French officers and described the hostage takers as “terrorists.” On Saturday, French President Emmanuel Macron will welcome the freed French and South Korean hostages at a ceremony at the Villacoublay French Air Force Base just south of Paris, an Elysee source told CNN. He will also pay special tribute to soldiers next week during a ceremony at the historic Les Invalides, a complex of military museums and monuments in Paris, that was originally a retirement home for war veterans. Beset by violence The northwest African country of Burkina Faso has been beset by extremist violence in recent months as Islamist terror groups expand their reach. The number of violent incidents in the country linked to the local affiliates of al Qaeda and ISIS rose from 24 in 2017 to 136 in 2018, according to a report by the Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Amid this increased violence, approximately 2,000 troops from more than 30 African and Western countries traveled to Burkina Faso to participate in a major military exercise in early 2019, which aimed at boosting regional cooperation, security and interoperability. In April, the US State Department updated its travel advisories for 35 countries, including Burkina Faso, with a new indicator to highlight the risk of kidnapping and hostage taking. CNN’s Ryan Browne and Arnaud Siad contributed to this report.<doc-sep>Daphné Benoit, AFP | A French helicopter Puma sits at a FAMa (Malian Armed Forces) base next to a flying Caiman helicopter on March 27, 2019. During the rescue operation to free four hostages in Burkina Faso, two French soldiers were killed. Many had given up hope as each day passed by, but the two French tourists kidnapped on May 1 along with the American and South Korean are now safe. Advertising Read more The liberation of the hostages, including French citizens Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, “was made possible by a military operation led by French forces overnight from Thursday to Friday in northern Burkina Faso," the Élysée Palace said in a statement. "During the operation two soldiers were killed in action, Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, both officers under the command of special operations," the presidency also reported. Pierrepont and Bertoncello were decorated naval Special Forces soldiers and part of the "Task Force Sabre" unit based in Burkina Faso. Soldiers “gave their lives to save our citizens” President Emmanuel Macron “congratulates the French armed forces for the liberation of the hostages, and everyone who worked alongside them." Macron underscored France’s pride and sadness at the sacrifice of “our two soldiers who gave their lives to save those of our citizens." American military had provided intelligence to aid the rescue mission The French tourists, a jewellery seller and a piano teacher and orchestra conductor based in the Paris region aged 51 and 46, went missing with their wildlife guide on the last leg of their holiday in usually peaceful Benin. The identity of the American and South Korean hostages was not immediately known, but they were both said to be women, according to a statement from the French presidency. The two hostages are expected to travel back to France this weekend, probably on Saturday. "We'll travel up to Paris to welcome them off the plane," Jean-Claude Picque, the father of hostage Patrick Picque, told AFP from his home in northern France. Four of the kidnappers were also killed during the rescue operation. The location of the raid indicated that the French tourists had been kidnapped in Benin and taken over the nearby border into Burkina Faso, where Islamist terror groups have stepped up attacks in recent months. Feared the worst French authorities feared the worst when the body of their Benin tour guide was found in Pendjari National Park. The four-wheel drive Toyota they were in was found incinerated, hundreds of miles away "without its occupants", a security source told AFP. The location of the raid indicated that the French tourists had been kidnapped in Benin and taken over the nearby border into Burkina Faso, where Islamist terror groups have stepped up attacks in recent months. Pendjari is one of the largest remaining conservation regions for elephants and lions in West Africa, according to a park official. It is a vast area of 4,800 square kilometres (1,850 square miles) but part of a far larger wilderness area spreading into Burkina Faso and Niger to the north. The reserve lies close to the porous border with Burkina Faso Benin is considered an island of stability in West Africa, a troubled region where many jihadist groups operate, but Pendjari lies on the porous and remote border with Burkina Faso, which has been hard hit by militant violence. A total of 24 French soldiers from the Barkhane force have died in the region since 2013 when France intervened in Mali to drive back jihadist groups who had taken control of the north of the country. The last death was announced on April 2 when a military doctor was killed in Mali when his armoured vehicle hit an improvised explosive device during an operation near the border with Burkina Faso. Read also: Benin tour guides mourn colleague, express fears for missing French tourists (FRANCE 24 with AFP) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>
French commandos have rescued four western hostages who had been seized by a militant group in Burkina Faso, in a “complex” operation in which two French special forces soldiers were killed, authorities in Paris said. The elite troops freed two French tourists – Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who disappeared on 1 May while on holiday in the remote Pendjari national park in neighbouring Benin. France’s armed forces minister, Florence Parly, said four kidnappers were killed in the overnight military raid in which the troops also rescued a woman from America and and a South Korean woman , who they did not know were also being held and appeared to have been seized 28 days ago. The raid was carried out under cover of darkness by special forces from France’s Barkhane operation, with what Parly described a “precious support” by US intelligence. French troops have been deployed across the Sahel region, with 4,500 soldiers sent to Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad as part of a mission against jihadist groups. The dead soldiers were named as Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, part of the Taskforce Sabre unit based in Burkina Faso. A total of 24 French soldiers from the Barkhane force have died in the region since 2013 when France intervened in Mali to drive back jihadist groups which had taken control of the north of the country and the towns of Timbuktu and Gao. The French president, Emmanuel Macron, expressed condolences for the two French soldiers killed and thanked French special forces and those who worked alongside them to free the hostages. Macron has repeatedly called on France’s allies to help fund and train a new regional African military force called the G5 Sahel, which experts continue to see as under-equipped and still heavily dependent on French firepower. The location of the raid indicated that the French tourists had been kidnapped in Benin and taken over the border into Burkina Faso, where Islamist terrorist and other militant groups have stepped up attacks in recent months. US special forces and drones are also thought to operate in the violence-hit Sahel region, which France fears could become further destabilised as jihadist groups are pushed out of north Africa, Iraq and Syria. Burkina Faso has suffered from increasingly frequent and deadly attacks attributed to a number of jihadist groups, including Ansarul Islam, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and Islamic State in the Greater Sahara. The French tourists went missing with a wildlife guide on the last leg of their holiday in usually peaceful Benin on a visit to the Pendjari national park, which is known for its elephants and lions, lies close to the porous border with Burkina Faso. The badly disfigured body of the French tourists’ guide Fiacre Gbedji was found shortly after they disappeared, as well as their abandoned 4x4 Toyota truck. The freed men, a music teacher and a shopkeeper working in the Paris region, are expected to travel back to France this weekend. “We’ll travel up to Paris to welcome them off the plane,” Picque’s father Jean-Claude, told AFP. “They [the authorities] told us that hostage-takings can be very long, but in the end it worked out OK, but not for the soldiers.”