A combination released on Jan 3, 2021 by the press office of the French army (Sirpa) shows sergeant Yvonne Huynh (left) and Brigadier Loic Risser, the two French soldiers killed by an improvised explosive device in northeastern Mali on Jan 3, 2021. (PHOTO / AFP / SIRPA)

PARIS - Al Qaeda’s North Africa wing has said it was responsible for the killing of three French soldiers in Mali, jihadist monitoring organisation SITE Intel reported on Saturday.

The soldiers, who were taking part in France’s Barkhane military operations in Mali against Islamic fighters, were killed on Monday when an improvised explosive device hit their armoured vehicle, the French Presidency said in a statement.

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SITE Intel said on Twitter that Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), which has repeatedly attacked soldiers and civilians in Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso, had said it was responsible for the attack.

France’s military command was not immediately available for comment.