French troops foil terrorist attack in Mali

French troops on Wednesday foiled a terrorist attack in northern Mali, neutralizing a depot of 15 mortar shells.

According to the French army, about 30 soldiers participated in the operation in Kidal after locals had warned that an attack was imminent.

A statement from the army said that French troops had already neutralized explosives three times last week.

France has about 4,000 soldiers in the Sahel region to fight terrorism.

They support a UN mission to stabilize northern Mali, where radical Islamist groups operate.