海角大神

聽sent special forces into聽聽to rescue a secret agent but insurgents apparently killed their hostage during the raid along with a commando, Defence Minister聽聽said on Saturday.

The intelligence agency team flew into聽聽by helicopter under cover of darkness to try to free聽, held since 2009, by al Qaeda-linked , on the same day聽聽launched air strikes against Islamist militants in聽.

"Commandos broke into where Allex was being detained last night and immediately faced strong resistance," Le Drian told a news conference.

"Intense combat took place, during which - and now I speak with caution - everything leads us to believe that聽聽was unfortunately killed by his captors."

Sowing confusion,听聽said in a statement that Allex was still alive.

Paris has been concerned that various French hostages held in聽聽would be at risk if it intervened militarily against the al Qaeda-allied fighters in聽, but Le Drian said the聽聽raid was "totally unconnected" to the聽听辞辫别谤补迟颈辞苍.

The deaths in聽聽coincided with the killing of a pilot in air strikes in聽, however, striking a double blow to the start of a campaign that represents President Francois Hollande's biggest foreign policy test since his May election.

A French commando died from wounds sustained in the Somali raid and a second was missing, Le Drian said.

The defence ministry said earlier that 17 Somali fighters were killed in a mission prompted by "the intransigence of the terrorists, who refused to negotiate for three and half years".

聽said in a statement that Allex was alive and being held at a location far from the base where French military helicopters attacked overnight.

"The injured French soldier is now in the custody of the mujahideen and Allex still remains safe and far from the location of the battle," it said. "Several French soldiers were killed in the battle and many more were injured before they fled from the scene of battle, leaving behind some military paraphernalia and even one of their comrades on the ground."

When asked about whether the missing commando was now in the hands of聽,听聽chief Admiral聽聽said: "If he is alive then he could be, but he could also be hiding."

聽has eight nationals in Islamist hands in the Sahel area after a string of kidnappings, and has cited concern over their safety as a reason for its initial reluctance to spearhead any military action against the Islamist rebels in.

A spokesman for Malian insurgents Ansar Dine said聽's intervention in the country will put French citizens at risk.

"There are consequences, not only for French hostages, but also for all French citizens wherever they find themselves in the Muslim world,"聽聽told Reuters. "

A French military analyst,听, said he doubted the raid had been mounted in coordination with the聽聽operation and it appeared to be a case of unfortunate timing.

"罢丑别听聽intervention was not planned, it was launched in two days, whereas the other raid had been in the works for a week or two. There is no reason for them to have been coordinated," he said.

PLEADING FOR LIFE

Allex was one of two officers from the DGSE intelligence agency kidnapped by聽听颈苍听聽in July 2009. His colleague,听, escaped a month later but Allex had been held ever since in what Paris called "inhumane conditions".

The ministry said he was kidnapped while carrying out an aid mission with the聽.听聽has previously said the two men were in the Somali capital to train local forces.

A video of Allex pleading with Hollande to negotiate his release and save his life appeared on a website in October used by Islamist militant groups around the world. Reuters could not verify its authenticity.

Hollande said at the time the government was seeking to start talks with any party able to facilitate Allex's release.

After his abduction,听聽issued a series of demands, which included an end to French support for the Somali government and the withdrawal of聽聽peacekeepers, whose 17,600-strong troops are helping battle the rebels.

Under pressure from the peacekeeping troops and Somali government forces,听聽has lost many of its major urban strongholds in south-聽since it launched a rebellion against the Western-backed government in 2007.

The rebels, who want to impose their strict interpretation of sharia, or Islamic law, across the Horn of聽聽state, withdrew from the capital聽聽in August last year and lost their last major聽聽six weeks ago.

A Somali official in Bula Mareer, about 75 miles south of聽, said French helicopters attacked overnight.

"Helicopters attacked聽聽at 2 a.m. this morning. Two civilians died in the crossfire,"聽, deputy chairman for lower Shabelle region, told Reuters.

础苍听聽official who asked not to be named said they exchanged fire with French commandos. "Three helicopters dropped French commandos. We exchanged fire," the official told Reuters.