"Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian regrets the loss of three Frence officers who dies while on a mission in Libya," the French Defense Ministery said in a statement today.
This is the first official confirmation that there are members of the French military in Libya.
Earlier in the day, a harried French government spokesman Stephane Le Foll acknowledged to the press that there were French special forces operating in Libya.
"Special forces are there, of course, to help and to make sure France is present everywhere in the struggle against terrorists," Le Foll told reporters.