May 10, 2019, 11:34 AM UTC / Updated May 10, 2019, 1:54 PM UTC LONDON — An American woman was among four hostages rescued in Burkina Faso overnight, according to France's presidential palace. Laurent Lassimouillas, left, and Patrick Picque, right, were among four people freed in Burkina Faso. AFP - Getty Images Two French commandos were killed during the operation to free two countrymen who were kidnapped last week in neighboring Benin. The two missing French tourists and a South Korean were also rescued. The statement named the French citizens as Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, who vanished on May 1. It was unclear when or where the U.S. or South Korean national went missing. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment. In a tweet, French Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly identified the two slain serviceman as Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, who were both marine commandos. The French navy said in a Facebook post that de Pierrepont had served in the Mediterranean, the Mideast and the Sahel region of Africa. Bertoncello's career had taken him to the Seychelles, the Mideast and the Sahel. French commandos Cedric de Pierrepont, left, and Alain Bertoncello were killed in Burkina Faso. AFP - Getty Images The statement said that French President Emmanuel Macron "bows with emotion and gravity before the sacrifice of these two servicemen, who gave their lives to save those of our citizens." Sandrine Gelot, a mayor in the greater Paris region, said in a Facebook post last week that Lassimouillas was a piano teacher and orchestra conductor. Picque was described by Le Figaro newspaper as a jewelry designer and independent retailer. The French pair vanished during a safari in northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso, according to Le Monde. The body of their guide was found in the park on Saturday, the newspaper reported. The State Department advises Americans to "reconsider travel" to Burkina Faso due to the risk of "terrorism and kidnapping." Its guidance warns that "terrorist groups continue plotting attacks and kidnappings in Burkina Faso and may conduct attacks anywhere with no warning." The State Department says people visiting Benin should "exercise normal precautions" but also highlights the threat of terrorism in the country's northern border region with Burkina Faso. Burkina Faso has witnessed encroaching insurgency by domestic militant groups in the country’s north as well as from the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara group in recent years, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project. The State Department has urged Americans to "reconsider travel" to Burkina Faso due to the risk of terrorism and kidnapping. Google The project — which analyzes and maps global conflicts — last year recorded nearly 200 suspected militant attacks in the landlocked country. Conflict in neighboring Mali between pastoral farmers and nomadic herders has also spread into Burkina Faso leading to the displacement of 70,000 people since the beginning of 2019, according to ACAPS, a Norwegian humanitarian analysis organization. This conflict is being exploited by Islamist armed groups that operate across borders and attacks against civilians have become more frequent, according to the charity.<doc-sep>HO / MARINE NATIONALE / AFP | This handout photo released by the Marine Nationale on May 10, 2019 shows French soldiers Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello. French commandos rescued four foreign hostages including two French citizens from a militant group in Burkina Faso, France's military said on Friday, adding that two of the elite soldiers were killed in the night-time operation. Advertising Read more The French military had been tracking the gang of hostage-takers across the arid terrain of eastern Burkina Faso for days before deciding to launch the night-time rescue mission that would cost the lives of two commandos. Since May 1, when two French tourists went missing in a wildlife park in neighbouring Benin, French soldiers and Special Forces from the regional Barkhane force had swung into action in the hunt for their kidnappers. On May 7, a first Special Forces mission was launched inside Burkina Faso which returned vital information on the gang of six hostage-takers who were thought to be heading for lawless Mali to the northwest, France’s army chief Francois Lecointre said during a news conference. As the group travelled across the country - in view of drones known to be operated by French and American forces in the area - French military waited for them to stop and an opportunity to intervene. Special battlefield medical teams flown from Paris In the meantime, specialised battlefield medical teams were flown from Paris to be moved in by helicopter when the final order came to launch an assault. "It was an extremely complex operation, with extremely demanding timings," Lecointre told reporters in a detailed briefing on the operation in Paris with Defence Minister Florence Parly. French military commanders judged that Thursday night's stop in northern Burkina Faso by the gang was the last opportunity to intervene before the hostages were taken into Mali and transferred to an Islamist militant group there. FRANCE 24's Wassim Nasr discusses the hostages' release "It was the last opportunity to carry out an operation in Burkina Faso. If the hostages had been transferred to Mali, an operation like this would have been too risky," Parly said. "It was important to act quickly. I continue to think it was the right decision to do it," she added. Commandos dropped by helicopter French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in Romania for a meeting with fellow European leaders, was informed and approved the intervention on Thursday evening, making use of a recently-concluded military cooperation deal with Burkina Faso. Around 20 French commandos were then dropped by helicopter at distance from the camp where the hostage-takers and their victims were thought to be sleeping. Approaching in silence under the cover of darkness, the teams got past a guard and to within a few metres of the four shelters where the hostages were being held before they were finally detected, Lecointre said. The soldiers ‘went inside without opening fire’ "The commandos went inside the shelters without opening fire," he added, underlining the difficulty of hostage situations even for highly-trained Special Forces who have to be careful not to harm the people they are rescuing. Two French soldiers died in shots fired at close range by the hostage-takers. Four of the gang were killed in return fire and two escaped. ‘No one was aware of’ the presence of an American and a South Korean hostages To their surprise, instead of finding just two French male tourists, the rescue teams discovered two women as well - an American and a South Korean. "No one was aware of their presence," Parly explained, while Lecointre said they had "apparently (been held) for 28 days". "The contacts we have had in recent hours with the United States and South Korea indicate that these countries were probably not aware of the presence of their nationals on Burkinabe territory," Parly explained. But Defence Minister Florence Parly said there was little other information about the pair. "We know little about these other two hostages," she told reporters, saying all four were in "a safe place". She thanked authorities in Benin and Burkina Faso for their help with the "complex operation", as well as the United States which provided intelligence and support. French Hostages kidnapped while visiting the Pendjari national Park French citizens Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas were kidnapped on the last leg of a two-week trip while driving with their local guide Fiacre Gbedji through the remote Pendjari National Park. A wildlife reserve known for its elephants and lions, it lies close to Benin's porous northwestern border with Burkina Faso which has been repeatedly hit by Islamist violence. The pair went off on safari and were due back at the lodge where they were staying that evening, but never showed up. Three days later, the badly-disfigured body of their guide was discovered in the park, while the charred remains of their white Toyota jeep was found over the border in eastern Burkina. Pique was born in Normandy and is a 51-year-old jewellery maker who lives in Paris and works in a jewellery shop in the 4th district. Lassimouillas, 46, was born in the southern port city of Marseille, but has lived and worked in the southern Paris suburb of Longjumeau for 24 years, teaching the piano at the local music conservatory and conducting a symphony orchestra. USA offers its thanks and condolences The United States on Friday thanked French Special Forces for freeing the hostages including the American citizen and offered condolences to the families of two soldiers who died. "We are grateful for the safe recovery of hostages, including an American, during a recovery operation in Burkina Faso," said Tibor Nagy, the assistant secretary of state for Africa. "I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the French soldiers killed during the operation," he tweeted. We are grateful for the safe recovery of hostages, including an American, during a recovery operation in Burkina Faso. I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the French soldiers killed during the operation. (1/2) Tibor Nagy (@AsstSecStateAF) 10 mai 2019 (FRANCE 24 with AFP, REUTERS) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>Francois Guillot, Pool, Reuters | French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defence Minister Florence Parly walk alongside freed French hostages Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas and a South Korean hostage as they arrive in Paris, May 11, 2019 Three former hostages, including two French nationals, arrived in Paris on Saturday evening after being rescued from a militant group in Burkina Faso by French special forces in a night-time raid. Two of the soldiers were killed in the operation. Advertising Read more The two French former hostages, Laurent Lassimouillas, 46, and Patrick Picque, 51, were met by French President Emmanuel Macron, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian and Defence Minister Florence Parly at Villacoublay military airport. "France's message to terrorists is clear: those who want to attack France, the French, should know that we will hunt them, we will find them, and we will kill them," Parly said. A South Korean embassy official was present to greet the unnamed third hostage. An American female hostage also freed in the nighttime rescue on Thursday was handed over to US officials in Burkina Faso. 'Co-operation of terror groups raises risks in Sahel' Addressing reporters at the airport Saturday, Lassimouillas admitted that he and Picque should have heeded the French foreign ministry's advice to avoid risky areas of Benin. "We certainly should have better taken into account the government's advice as well as the complexities of Africa," he said. "Our first thoughts go to the families of the soldiers who freed us from this hell," he continued. A ceremony of national tribute will be held at the Invalides military hospital and mausoleum in Paris on Tuesday for the two soldiers who were killed in this “highly complex operation”, as Parly described the raid on Friday. Kidnapped tourists were in Benin 'red zone' Lassimouillas and Picque disappeared during a tour of Pendjari National Park in Benin on May 1. They were seized by kidnappers in an area of Benin that France has long advised travellers to avoid, Le Drian pointed out earlier on Saturday. "The zone where our two citizens were has for some time now been considered a red zone, which means it's a zone where you shouldn't go, where you're taking significant risks if you do go," Le Drian told Europe 1 radio. French tourists warned to avoid Benin's 'red zone' The foreign ministry's travel advisory website lists the areas of northern Benin near the border with Burkina Faso as "Formally Discouraged," including Pendjari National Park. It warns of "the presence of armed terrorist groups and the risk of kidnapping". The disfigured body of their guide was found shortly after they were reported missing, along with their abandoned Toyota truck. Intelligence agencies tracked their captors across the semi-desert terrain of eastern Burkina Faso, where it appeared they would soon cross the border into Mali. Officials feared the hostages would be handed over to the Macina Liberation Front (FLM), a jihadist group formed in 2015 that is aligned with al Qaeda in the region. Macron gave the order for the nighttime raid on the militants' camp on Thursday. The French commandos were unaware of the presence of the American and South Korean hostages, officials said. 'France's duty is to rescue its citizens wherever they are' Although Benin has long been spared the unrest seen in Mali and Burkina Faso, French officials have warned that jihadist insurgents could extend their operations into the sparsely populated desert regions further south. "The threat is evolving and has become much more mobile, and now countries to the south of Mali have become targets," Le Drian said on Saturday. "The greatest precautions must be taken in these regions to avoid these types of kidnappings, and avoid the sacrifices required by our soldiers," he said. France's Operation Barkhane counts some 4,500 troops deployed in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad to help local forces battle jihadist groups. The raid on the kidnappers was led by the elite Hubert commando unit of the French naval special forces, which was deployed to the Sahel at the end of March. They were assisted by Burkina and Benin authorities and by the United States, which provided intelligence and support. A total of 24 French soldiers have died in the region since 2013 when France intervened to drive back jihadist groups who had taken control of northern Mali. (FRANCE 24 with AP, AFP and REUTERS) Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning Subscribe<doc-sep>Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi made note of Burkina Faso when he resurfaced in a video earlier this month after a five-year absence. In the video, he congratulated the groups operating in Burkina Faso for pledging allegiance to the Islamic State, describing that they would take “revenge for their brothers in Iraq and Syria.”<doc-sep>
PARIS (Reuters) - French commandos rescued four foreign hostages including two French citizens from a militant group in Burkina Faso, France’s military said on Friday, adding that two of the elite soldiers were killed in the night-time operation. The two French special forces soldiers Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello who were killed in a night-time rescue of four foreign hostages including two French citizens in Burkina Fasso are seen in an undated photo released by French Army, May 10, 2019. Sirpa Marine/Handout via REUTERS French special forces carried out the raid under cover of dark over the night of Thursday-Friday, supported by U.S. intelligence and troops from France’s Barkhane operation deployed in the Sahel region to counter Islamist militants. All four hostages were safe, President Emmanuel Macron’s office said, adding that a U.S. woman and a South Korean woman were also freed in the covert operation. “The precise and determined actions of French soldiers allowed us to take out the kidnappers while protecting the lives of the hostages,” France’s army chief Francois Lecointre told a news conference, describing the militant group as “terrorists”. Four kidnappers were killed and two escaped, he said. “Those who attack France and the French know that we will spare no effort to track them and take them out. We will never abandon our citizens,” Armed Forces Minister Florence Parly told reporters. The French forces had not been aware of the presence of the U.S. and South Korean hostages ahead of the operation and they had been held for 28 days, Lecointre said. “We were not aware of their presence ... the American will be repatriated separately,” Parly said. “The contacts (with those countries) show that these countries were not necessarily aware of their presence.” A spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department said the United States was grateful for the successful recovery of the hostages, including a U.S. citizen, and offered condolences to the families of the two solders killed. “The successful operation demonstrates the importance of our historic alliance with France. We reaffirm our solidarity with the people of Burkina Faso and Benin in the face of these threats,” she said. South Korea had confirmed the identity of the South Korean hostage, a woman in her 40s, its foreign ministry said. South Korea offered condolences to the families of the soldiers killed and was sincerely grateful to France for the rescue, the ministry said. Slideshow ( 3 images ) France, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 against Islamist militants then occupying Mali’s north and has since kept about 4,500 troops in the Sahel. The region has seen a spike in violence by militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State in past years, highlighting the difficulty international partners face in restoring stability. France’s defense ministry identified the fallen soldiers as two elite naval commandos. Burkina Faso’s President Roch Kabore hailed the hostages’ release and offered condolences to the soldiers’ families. “The joint military intervention that allowed us to achieve these results shows our common engagement in fighting against the forces of evil,” Kabore said in a Facebook post. SPREADING INSTABILITY The two French tourists were kidnapped on May 1 in Benin’s Pendjari National Park, which lies on Benin’s northern frontier with Burkina Faso. Their safari guide was found dead, his body riddled with bullets, and their vehicle burned. [nL5N22H0YC] The French government had warned its citizens against traveling to parts of Benin near the Burkina Faso border because of the risk of kidnapping. Swathes of northern and eastern Burkina Faso have been overrun by militants, leaving the government struggling to assert authority and forcing over 100,000 residents to flee. In February, Burkina Faso said militants were increasingly active in West Africa and instability in the Sahel was spreading to coastal countries such as Benin and Ivory Coast. Led by France, Western powers have also provided funding and weapons to a regional force made up of soldiers from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Chad and Mauritania to combat jihadists. But the so-called G5 force has been hobbled by delays in disbursing the money and poor coordination between the five countries, while insecurity has escalated in the border region between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso.