French forces rescue Dutch hostage Sjaak Rijke in Mali
- 9 years ago
The French army have released footage showing a freed Dutch hostage who was rescued on Monday (April 6) during a special forces attack on a militant group in Mali.
Sjaak Rijke had been kidnapped nearly four years ago in the northern town of Timbuktu by the group.
French President Francois Hollande said the French special forces operation was not designed to free Rijke and they found him by chance.
“It was a surprise for us, for our forces, to be able to free this hostage, as we didn’t have any information about his presence,” said Hollande. “But knowing the existence of this terrorist group, the fact that we were able to launch an attack, preserving his life, it’s really satisfactory.”
Rijke was safely evacuated to a French operating base in Tessalit, the military said.
The French authorities did not identify who had been holding Rijke, but the Dutchman appeared in a video posted in November by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Rijke was abducted in November 2011 fro
Sjaak Rijke had been kidnapped nearly four years ago in the northern town of Timbuktu by the group.
French President Francois Hollande said the French special forces operation was not designed to free Rijke and they found him by chance.
“It was a surprise for us, for our forces, to be able to free this hostage, as we didn’t have any information about his presence,” said Hollande. “But knowing the existence of this terrorist group, the fact that we were able to launch an attack, preserving his life, it’s really satisfactory.”
Rijke was safely evacuated to a French operating base in Tessalit, the military said.
The French authorities did not identify who had been holding Rijke, but the Dutchman appeared in a video posted in November by al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).
Rijke was abducted in November 2011 fro