Three French soldiers killed in anti-IS fight in Libya

PanARMENIAN.Net - Three French soldiers who were carrying out "dangerous intelligence operations" in Libya have been killed in a helicopter accident, President Francois Hollande said Wednesday, July 20, according to AFP.

The deaths provide the first confirmation that France has troops in the country where the Islamic State group has several bases.

Hollande said Libya was experiencing "dangerous instability.

"It's only a few hundred kilometres from Europe's shores. And at the moment we're carrying out dangerous intelligence operations," he said.

"Three of our soldiers who were, in fact, involved in these operations have lost their lives in a helicopter accident."

Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had earlier confirmed the deaths of three officers "who died while on mission in Libya" and praised their "courage and devotion", without giving details on the circumstances of their deaths, AFP says.

France had previously said its warplanes were carrying out reconnaissance flights over Libya.

But Paris has never confirmed reports that it has special forces on the ground in the country, as claimed by Le Monde daily and hinted at previously by the UN's envoy to Libya, Martin Kobler.

Rival militias in the desert state have been vying for power since the overthrow of veteran dictator Moamer Kadhafi in 2011.

The Islamic State group has taken advantage of the breakdown in central authority to establish a stronghold in the coastal city of Sirte.