OUAGADOUGOU, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The French Major General Patrick Brethous, commander of the Barkhane anti-terror operation, on Wednesday promised to reduce the number of terrorists in Mali, after meeting with the Burkina Faso president in the capital city of Ouagadougou.
"Terrorists have taken a big hit during the 2013 Serval operation as they have been stalked thanks to the trans-border partnership within the G5 countries," Patrick Brethous said, reporting from the Burkina Faso Presidency Communication Bureau.
Brethous underscored that the operation registered success by eliminating some terrorists'chiefs, dismantling logistics stocks and hampering terrorists' movement especially in northern Niger.
Moreover, he said the operation is now trying to refocus strategies and intensify vigilance in some important cities in Sahel and tourists areas, such as Bamako in Mali, Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso and Grand-Bassam in Cote'd Ivoire.
Operation Barkhane was launched by the French army on August 1, 2014 in order to fight Jihadist and Salafi armed groups in the whole Sahel region.
