Thirteen French soldiers have been killed in a helicopter "collision" during an operation against jihadists in Mali, the French president's office says.
President Emmanuel Macron expressed "deep sadness" over the biggest single loss of life for the French military since the 1980s.
An investigation has begun into how the two helicopters hit each other.
Thousands of French troops have been deployed in Mali since 2013 after militants overran parts of the north.
[...]
It happened in darkness around 19:40 local time (also GMT) on Monday near the borders of Burkina Faso and Niger where the aircraft were reinforcing ground troops who were pursuing militants, the French military says.
A Tiger attack helicopter hit a Cougar military transport mid-air as it manoeuvred to engage the militants [...].
The two aircraft crashed not far from each other, killing everyone on board including six commandos and an officer.
Among the dead is the son of French Senator Jean-Marie Bockel, Pierre, who was a lieutenant.
French mission grinds to a halt
The helicopter accident that has killed 13 of its soldiers is more bad news for France from a combat mission already beset with questions over its efficacy and purpose.
After initial successes in suppressing Islamist rebels in northern Mali in 2013, the French deployment was extended into a regional mandate under the operational name Barkhane.
But recent months have seen a resurgence of groups linked to Islamic State and al-Qaeda, with the focus of their activity shifting to the centre-east of Mali and the area bordering Niger and Burkina Faso.
Writing recently in Le Monde, a former defence co-ordinator at the French foreign ministry warned Operation Barkhane was "in an impasse".
"On the ground the facts are plain. The rise in strength of the jihadists is a reality we can no longer deny. It is they who have the initiative," wrote Bruno Clément-Bollée.
"In the Sahel, France has a lot to be worried about… We seem to have no idea how to get out of the quagmire."
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