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.