French and Malian forces have conducted operations that killed at least 30 extremists in Africa's Sahel region in recent days, the French military said.
This came amid stepped-up efforts to combat militant groups in the area.
Earlier this week, two French commando operations killed about 10 militants in the border zone where extremists groups including ISIS in the Grand Sahara operate, a French military statement said.
Meanwhile n Friday, two airstrikes involving one of France's first armed drones killed almost 20 others in the restive border zone where Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso meet, the statement noted.
According to the French military, France's Barkhane force in the Sahel region worked closely with Malian forces on the operations.
It also confirmed there were no reports of any casualties among French or Malian troops.
The military action came after France announced plans Feb. 2 to deploy 600 additional soldiers to its Barkhane force, raising the number of troops there to 5,100, the Associated Press reported.
Most of the new troops will be concentrated on the three-border zone, the epicenter of the fight against extremist groups.
