France pays tribute to soldiers killed in Mali mine blast (2) French President Francois Hollande and his Malian counterpart on Wednesday presided over a military ceremony for the three French soldiers who died in Mali after their armoured car ran over a landmine. The troops were part of Operation Barkhane, under which France has some 3,500 soldiers deployed across five countries in the Sahel region, south of the Sahara desert, to combat the jihadist insurgency raging there. IMAGES (COMPLETES VID878601_EN)