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>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>France is honoring two special forces officers killed in an operation that freed four hostages held in Burkina Faso. The French public was invited to line the Alexander III Bridge in central Paris as the funeral cortege passed slowly for Wednesday's elaborate ceremony. French President Emmanuel Macron is overseeing the national homage at the gold-domed Invalides monument that houses Napoleon's tomb. The two Marine commandos, Cedric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, were killed Friday in an operation that also left four extremists dead. They were serving in France's Barkhane Operation, which has been working to root out Islamic militants roaming the Sahel region. The operation liberated two French tourists, an American and a South Korean.<doc-sep>
Two French special forces officers were killed Friday in a military operation in the West African nation of Burkina Faso that freed four people from the United States, France and South Korea who were kidnapped in Benin, authorities said. Four "terrorists" also were killed during the pre-dawn operation in northern Burkina Faso that was carried out to free the two French tourists, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said. It was "an operation of rare difficulty" that grew more complex with the discovery of the American and South Korean hostages being held with the French citizens, Parly said. Despite careful planning and American and Burkina support, "no one had any knowledge" of the presence of an American and a South Korean, she said at a news conference. Contacts with the United States and South Korea "show that these countries were probably not aware of the presence of their two nationals on Burkina Faso territory," she added. Parly said the four freed hostages were in a "safe place." French President Emmanuel Macron plans to welcome home the French citizens and the South Korean citizen at a military airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, his office said. The American, whom Parly said was a woman, was expected to be repatriated separately. The two Frenchmen rescued were identified as music teachers Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, BBC News reported. Both men disappeared while on safari last week at the Pendjari National Park in northern Benin. Their guide was later found dead. This photo provided Friday May 10, 2019 by the French army shows navy soldiers Cédric de Pierrepont left, and Alain Bertoncello. French Army via AP It was not immediately known when and where the American and South Korean were kidnapped. In a statement Friday, Macron expressed condolences over the deaths of the two Marine commandos participating in France's Barkhane Operation, which has been working to root out terrorists roaming the Sahel region. A military ceremony for the commandos is planned for next week. Macron thanked authorities in Burkina Faso and Benin for their cooperation and promised them support in fighting terrorism. Army Chief of Staff Gen. Francois Lecointre said the hostages and their captors were in transit in Burkina Faso "with the intention of the kidnappers to take them to Mali," according to French newspaper Le Monde. The risk of their being transferred to an extremist group in Mali - which would have made efforts to free them impossible - triggered the operation, Lecointre said. Islamic extremists have become increasingly active in Burkina Faso, raising worries the militants could be infiltrating northern Benin and neighboring Togo as well. France has 4,500 troops in a military force in the Sahel aimed at helping local governments fight extremists. Pendjari National Park is part of a vast wildlife area that stretches across the countries of Benin, Burkina Faso and Niger. The entire area is home to most of the world's remaining West African lion population.