Paris (CNN) A French hostage in Burkina Faso, freed in an overnight rescue this week in which two soldiers were killed, described the experience as "hell." a French-led operation with the support of the US military. Laurent Lassimouillas was freed along with another Frenchman, an American woman and a South Korean woman ina French-led operation with the support of the US military. The rescue occurred between Thursday and Friday in the Sahel region of Burkina Faso. "I want to thank French authorities and Burkina Faso ones," Lassimouillas told reporters at the presidential palace in the capital of Ouagadougou before a meeting with Roch Marc Christian Kaboré, Burkina Faso's President. "Our thoughts are for the families of the soldiers and the soldiers who lost their (lives) to free us from this hell," he added, according to CNN affiliate BFMTV. Lassimouillas, his compatriot, Patrick Picque, and the South Korean landed safely Saturday at a French air force base outside Paris, where French President Emmanuel Macron greeted them. The former hostages will receive a full health examination. Read More<doc-sep>PARIS: 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. French special forces carried out the raid under cover of dark over the night of Thursday-Friday, supported by US 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 US 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. The French forces had not been aware of the presence of the US and South Korean hostages ahead of the operation and they had been held for 28 days, Lecointre said. A spokeswoman for the US State Department said the United States was grateful for the successful recovery of the hostages, including a US citizen, and offered condolences to the families of the two solders killed. South Korea had confirmed the identity of the South Korean hostage, a woman in her 40s, its foreign ministry said. France’s defence ministry identified the fallen soldiers as two elite naval commandos. — Reuters<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>The first pictures of hostages freed following an operation by French troops in Burkina Faso have emerged after two French soldiers were killed during their rescue. Two French tourists were taken hostage in neighbouring Benin along with a South Korean and an American before being rescued across the border. On Saturday, they offered their condolences to the families of the two soldiers killed in the operation, which took place on Thursday night. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Hostages freed 'from hell' praise military Image: Laurent Lassimouillas (left) and Patrick Picque (front-right) were freed after an operation on Thursday The two Frenchmen, Laurent Lassimouillas and Patrick Picque, along with the unidentified South Korean woman met the president of Burkina Faso, Roch Kabore, at the presidential palace in Ouagadougou. Image: Freed hostages Patrick Picque (right) and Laurent Lassimouillas with a South Korean hostage were greeted by President Macron The three were welcomed by French President Emmanuel Macron at a military airport near Paris later on Saturday following their departure from the west African nation. Advertisement The American, who has also not been identified, is being flown back to the United States. Mr Lassimouillas told reporters: "All our thoughts go to the families of the soldiers and to the soldiers who lost their lives to free us from this hell. "We wanted to present our condolences right away to those families because we feel ambivalent about everything that happened to us." French officials have named the two soldiers killed as naval special forces officers Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello. Image: Mr Macron has vowed to help Burkina Faso in its fight against terrorism The freed Frenchman also expressed regret over the death of the Beninese park guide, who was killed during the safari kidnapped. It is not clear who took the tourists captive but French officials described them as "terrorists" who intended to hand them over to an al Qaeda affiliate in neighbouring Mali. In a statement from the Elysee Palace, a spokesperson said Mr Macron wished to congratulate the French army for their work. "He solemnly recognises the sacrifice of our two soldiers, who gave their lives to save those of our fellow citizens," they said. "He sends his heartfelt condolences to their families, their friends and their brothers in arms, and offers them all the solidarity of the nation in these difficult times. "The president of the republic also thanks the Beninese and Burkinabe authorities for their close cooperation. He assured them of France's full willingness to help them in their fight against terrorism in the Sahel."<doc-sep>
OUAGADOUGOU/PARIS (Reuters) - Three hostages freed by French commandos from militants in Burkina Faso arrived in Paris on Saturday, expressing sorrow at the death of two French soldiers in the rescue operation. President Emmanuel Macron welcomed the hostages as they stepped off the French government jet less than 48 hours after French special forces stormed their captors’ hideout in a daring night-time raid. Two Frenchmen kidnapped while on safari in Benin more than a week earlier, as well as an American woman and a South Korean woman who were being held with them, were liberated in the high-risk mission authorized by Macron. The American, who has not been identified, was being repatriated separately. “All our thoughts go to the families of the soldiers and to the soldiers who lost their lives to free us from this hell,” Laurent Lassimouillas earlier told reporters as he met Burkinabe President Roch Kabore in Ouagadougou. The French government identified the two soldiers killed as Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello. Macron will lead a national tribute to the men, both officers in the naval special forces, at the Les Invalides military hospital and mausoleum in Paris on Tuesday. Lassimouillas also expressed regret over the death of the Beninese park guide, who was shot dead when the two tourists were kidnapped. Slideshow ( 11 images ) ISLAMIST INSURGENCY French officials said on Friday it was not yet clear who had kidnapped them in Benin but that their captors planned to hand them over to an al Qaeda affiliate in neighboring Mali. Jihadist groups with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have expanded their presence across West Africa’s Sahel region, a strip of scrubland beneath the Sahara desert, in recent years and taken a number of Western hostages. France, the former colonial power in the region, intervened in Mali in 2013 to halt an advance by Islamist militants and has kept about 4,500 troops in the Sahel since then. “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,” Defence Minister Florence Parly said after joining Macron at the Villacoublay military airport outside Paris. France was doing all it could to secure the release of another French hostage, Sophie Petronin, Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said. Gunmen kidnapped Petronin in December 2016 in the northern Malian city of Gao.