Paris, Oct 30 (IANS) A French soldier was killed Wednesday during a violent clash with a terrorist group in northern Mali, France's President's Office said.
The sergeant in a commando parachutist unit was killed during an anti-terrorism operation in the mountainous Adrar des Ifoghas region, Xinhua reported citing the statement.
During a hearing held earlier in the day at the National Assembly, French Defence Minister Jean Yves Le Drian said French troops clashed violently with Islamist militants possibly linked to Al Qaeda's north African wing (AQIM).
The death brought the number of French soldiers killed to 10 in Mali since France launched its military offensive in January 2013 to crack down on Islamist fighters, who had seized control of Malian northern region.
Last July, France announced the deployment of a new batch of 3,000 troops to the Sahel region where the troops will combat extremist insurgents.