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French sailors stand during a minute of silence on board Marine Nationale ship Commandant Birot (Aviso Type - Classe d'Estienne d'Orves) at an undisclosed location in The Black Sea, early November 28, 2019, as they remember the thirteen French soldiers killed when two helicopters collided during Operation Barkhane in Mali. (AFP Photo)
Two French army helicopters that crashed in Mali on Tuesday had not been under fire from Islamic State jihadists, French army chief of staff François Lecointre said on French radio RFI on Friday.
On Thursday, Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP) said the helicopters had collided after one of them retreated under fire from ISWAP fighters, but it did not provide any evidence for its claim, the SITE intelligence group reported.