A Dassault Mirage 2000, Armee de l’Air (French Air Force), takes off for a mission during Red Flag-Alaska 07-1  on Apr. 10, 2007 ( (U.S. Air Force Photo by Staff Sgt Joshua Strang)

By Gary Raynaldo    DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

The French Air Force dispatched two Dassault Mirage 2000 fighter jets to the  West Africa Sahel in an airstrike that reportedly killed at least 50 jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda in Mali, the French government  said.  Mirage fighter jets along with French Air Force drones fired missiles into central Mali during the devastating air attack over the weekend.

“On October 30 in Mali, the Barkhane force carried out an operation incapacitating more than 50 jihadists, also confiscating their materials and armaments. I salute the commitment of our soldiers; far from our borders, they work for our security. This opportune action deals a significant blow to a group affiliated with Al Qaeda. Faced with the immense challenge of stabilizing the Sahel, I know that I can count on the determination of our soldiers.”

-French Defense Minister Florence Parle

Le 30 octobre au Mali, la force Barkhane a réalisé une opération mettant hors d'état de nuire plus de 50 djihadistes, confisquant également leurs matériels et armements. Je salue l'engagement de nos militaires ; loin de nos frontières, ils oeuvrent pour notre sécurité. 5/6

— Florence Parly (@florence_parly) November 2, 2020

The French defense minister said 30 motorcycles were also destroyed in the airstrike.  “These motorcycles then grouped together under the coverage of trees,” explained the Minister of the Armed Forces, Florence Parly. “We had two Mirages in the area, (France Operation) ‘Barkhane’   immediately launched the operation and launched a strike.” 

Parly is currently visiting Mali’s capital Bamako, where she met with the head of the transitional government. 

France operates its current 5,000-strong Operation Barkhane counter-terror force in the  West African Sahel

Dassault Mirage 2000-D  /  )Wikipedia Commons Rob Schleiffert from Holland)

The Dassault Mirage 2000 is a French multirole, single-engine fourth-generation jet fighter manufactured by Dassault Aviation, designed in the late 1970s as a lightweight fighter to replace the Mirage III for the French Air and Space Force (Armée de l’air et de l’espace). The Mirage 2000 evolved into a multirole aircraft with several variants developed, with sales to a number of nations.