French hostage killed in raid in Somalia -French defense ministry

Denis Allex, a French soldier held hostage in Somalia since 2009, was killed during a raid on Friday night by French troops  trying to rescue him, the French defense ministry said on Saturday.   

Two other French soldiers and 17 Somalian fighters were killed in the fighting, the ministry said in a statement.   

"Faced with the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three and and half years and who were holding Denis Allex in inhumane conditions, an operation was planned and carried out," said the ministry.   

"During the assault, violent combat took place. Denis Allex was killed by his captors."

Later in the day, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said that an operation by French armed forces to rescue a hostage being held in Somalia was not linked to France's military intervention in Mali to help quash a push south by Islamist rebels, .   

"The two operations are totally unconnected," Le Drian told a news conference.   

France had been concerned that other hostages held in Africa would be at risk if they intervened against al Qaeda-linked fighters in Mali.


REUTERS