French forces killed at least 11 suspected Islamist fighters and seized large amounts of weapons and ammunition during an operation in Mali's northern region of Timbuktu, a French army source in Mali has said, reports The Guardian.
"The operation was carried out on Wednesday night around 100km north of Timbuktu," the source said. "Eleven terrorists were killed and one French soldier was wounded."
A source at the Malian defence ministry in Bamako said French forces were carrying out operations against Islamist militants in the region. He could not confirm the killing of the militants.
A French-led offensive last January drove out Islamist militants who had seized control of northern Mali. However, some fighters linked to al-Qaida are still holding out.
The groups have stepped up attacks in recent months, targeting the northern cities of Kidal, Timbuktu and Gao. Two French journalists were killed by Islamists in Kidal in November.
French and Malian military officials said threats of militant attacks on Timbuktu and Kidal remained real. Patrols are ongoing in the Adrar des Ifoghas mountain region near the Algerian border, used by militants as hideouts.
Read more of this report from Reuters published in The Guardian.