[News24] Around 15 Islamic cut-throats were killed overnight in heavy fighting with French and Chadian forces in northeastern Mali, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Tuesday.The defence ministry has said dozens of Islamists have died in the area over the past few days. A third French soldier died in the conflict on Saturday.
"There were operations carried out by our troops overnight against a group of Islamic fascisti in the region, in the Ametettai valley," Le Drian told BFMTV, adding that there were "around 15 killed".