France airstrike in central Mali

The French government said, its forces had killed more than 50 jihadists aligned to Al-Qaeda in air strikes in central Mali.

The offensive took place on Friday in an area near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger, where government troops are struggling to rout an Islamic insurgency, French Defence Minister Florence Parly said after meeting members of Mali's transitional government.

She had met Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou and her Nigerien counterpart Issoufou Katambe before heading to Bamako.

"The French troops launched the operation after a drone detected a 'very large' motorcycle caravan in the 'three borders' area," AFP quoted Parly as saying.