President Francois Hollande said on Wednesday (July 20) three French soldiers were killed in a helicopter accident in Libya during an intelligence-gathering mission in the North African state.

They are the first confirmed Western military casualties since it became known this year that special forces were operating on the ground in Libya.

Paris took a leading role in the NATO air campaign that helped rebels overthrow autocratic leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country later descended into years of chaos.

French special forces in conjunction with Britain and the United States have been advising forces loyal to eastern Libyan commander Khalifa Haftar, which have been battling Islamists and other opponents in Benghazi for more than two years. French aircraft have been conducting reconnaissance flights since December.