France will deploy 600 additional soldiers in the Sahel-Saharan strip to boost the op in the region, Defence Minister Florence Parly stated on Sunday, Trend reports citing Sputnik.
"Another part of these reinforcements will be directly engaged with the forces of the G5 Sahel to accompany them in combat", she said.
According to the minister, the military reinforcements would allow French troops to increase pressure against the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara - a Daesh-affiliated jihadist group in Africa.
The situation in the region remains tense amid ongoing conflicts in the northern and western parts of the continent, including the civil war in Libya and clashes between Tuareg militants and Mali forces.