Terror groups in Sahel region considerably weakened: French forces

Terrorist groups based in the Sahel region "are not capable of carrying out a large scale attack that can enable them take control of an entire town", a source from the French force based in the region said on Tuesday.

"In the Sahel, there is no longer a terrorist group that is capable of carrying out a large scale attack. This does not mean that the problem has been resolved, but it means that actions of the G5 armies and Barkhane force have yielded fruits," said Francois-Xavier De Woillemont, new commander of the French Barkhane force based in the region after meeting Burkina Faso President Roch Marc Christian Kabore in Ouagadougou.

"Contrary to the impression that may be held by some people, the G5 armies that include Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Mali as well as the Barkhane force have recorded major victories against terrorist groups," the French general said.

He said the terrorists no longer had tactical capacities. "This means capacities to take control of a town. They remain dangerous, just like other terrorists in the world, but they have been considerably weakened," he said.

Majority of the countries in the Sahelian strip have in recent years come under terror attacks, forcing authorities to intensify the fight against insecurity, with support from France.

Launched since Aug. 1, 2014 following the "Serval' and "Epervier" operations, Barkhane is a mission carried out by the French army in the Sahel region to fight against terrorist groups.

The Barkhane force which is comprised of thousands of soldiers, works closely with forces from the regional states to fight the terrorist groups. Endit