French killed in I Coast attack
2004-11-06 17:47
Paris - Eight French soldiers were killed and 23 wounded on Saturday when Ivory Coast armed forces attacked French troops deployed in the central rebel stronghold of Bouake, the French defence ministry told AFP.
It was reported earlier that French forces shot down two Ivory Coast warplanes and a military helicopter amid an attempted attack by the Ivory Coast aircraft.
The clash happened outside the rebel stronghold, Bouake, UN military spokesperson Philippe Moreux said.
Moreux said the Ivory Coast aircraft - two Russian-made Sukhois and a helicopter - had been attempting an attack in an area of French peacekeepers in the former French colony.
- AFP