Three French Soldiers Killed in Line of Duty in Libya

REUTERS – President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday three French soldiers were killed in a helicopter accident in Libya during an intelligence-gathering mission in the North African state.

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They are the first confirmed Western military casualties since it became known this year that special forces were operating on the ground in Libya.

"At this moment we are carrying out dangerous intelligence operations [in Libya]," Hollande said in a speech. "Three of our soldiers, who were involved in these operations, have been killed in a helicopter accident."

Paris took a leading role in the NATO air campaign that helped rebels overthrow autocratic leader Muammar Gadhafi in 2011. The country later descended into years of chaos.

French special forces in conjunction with Britain and the United States have been advising forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, which have been battling Islamists and other opponents in Benghazi for more than two years. French aircraft have been conducting reconnaissance flights since December.

Libyan military officials would not comment on a report that the French nationals were in a helicopter that crashed near Benghazi on Sunday. Officials said at the time that four people died in the crash, all of them Libyan.

Western powers have been backing Libya's unity government, hoping it will seek foreign support to confront Islamic State militants, deal with migrant flows from Libya to Europe and restore oil production to shore up Libya's economy.