In this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 photo provided by French Defense Communication and Audiovisual Department (ECPAD), soldiers stand guard by the coffins of the 13 French soldiers, in Gao, Mali. France will pay Monday a national homage for the 13 French soldiers killed inan helicopter collision while fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists. (Thomas Peudeleux/ECPAD via AP)
The Associated Press
PARIS (AP) - In its biggest military funeral in decades, France is honoring 13 soldiers killed when their helicopters collided over Mali while on a mission fighting extremists affiliated with the Islamic State group.
French President Emmanuel Macron and Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita will preside over a somber ceremony Monday at the gold-domed Invalides monument in Paris. The French government invited citizens to pay respects along the route of the funeral cortege.
The 13 coffins, draped in the French tricolor, arrived in France over the weekend.
Tuesday's crash was France's highest military death toll since 1983. The French military says it was the result of complex coordination during a combat operation and has dismissed a claim of responsibility by an IS-linked group.
The crash drew global attention to an emerging front for groups affiliated with IS.
In this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 photo provided by French Defense Communication and Audiovisual Department (ECPAD), French soldiers attend a ceremony before loading the coffins of the 13 French soldiers into a military plane, in Gao, Mali. France will pay Monday a national homage for the 13 French soldiers killed inan helicopter collision while fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists. (Thomas Peudeleux/ECPAD via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 photo provided by French Defense Communication and Audiovisual Department (ECPAD), soldiers salute as the coffins of the 13 French soldiers are loaded into a military plane, in Gao, Mali. France will pay Monday a national homage for the 13 French soldiers killed inan helicopter collision while fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists. (Thomas Peudeleux/ECPAD via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 photo provided by French Defense Communication and Audiovisual Department (ECPAD), soldiers salute as the coffins of the 13 French soldiers are loaded into a military plane, in Gao, Mali. France will pay Monday a national homage for the 13 French soldiers killed inan helicopter collision while fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists. (Thomas Peudeleux/ECPAD via AP)
The Associated Press
In this Saturday, Nov. 30, 2019 photo provided by French Defense Communication and Audiovisual Department (ECPAD), soldiers carry the coffin of one of the 13 French soldiers during a ceremony before loading the coffins into a military plane, in Gao, Mali. France will pay Monday a national homage for the 13 French soldiers killed inan helicopter collision while fighting Islamic State group-linked extremists. (Thomas Peudeleux/ECPAD via AP)
The Associated Press