PARIS, April 17 (Xinhua) -- French troops have released five Malian aid workers kidnapped in the West African country in February by an al-Qaeda linked group, the French presidential office said on Thursday.
In a joint statement, French President Francois Hollande and his Malian counterpart Ibrahim Boubacar Keita announced the release of hostages with four of them working for the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"They are all in good health," they said, adding the hostages were freed during an operation launched early Thursday in north of Timbuktu.
"France and Mali remain firmly committed alongside other states in the fight against terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking in the Sahel," the two leaders said.
The aid workers were abducted on Feb. 8 by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO).
At the request of Malian authorities, France launched air and ground operations in the country in 2013 to help dispel Islamist insurgents from the country's northern region.
French interests and expatriates have been the target of terrorist groups that threatened to strike them in retaliation for its military intervention in the West African country.
Six French nationals are still being held hostage in Syria, Mali and Nigeria.
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