Hollande stands firm to fight terrorism after Niger explosions

French president Francois Hollande reiterated his determination to help African countries to fight against terrorist cells after two car bombings erupted at an Areva's uranium site at Arlit and a military camp in Agadez, in northern Niger. "We must bring our solidarity, our support to the countries, mainly those of West Africa, that are facing this plague of terrorism and will continue to do so," the president said. "We will remain in Mali and around Mali and where our interests are directly affected, where Nigerians, because they had supported, sustained us, were brutally murdered," he stressed. On Friday, Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a top commander of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), has claimed responsibility of Thursday's twin explosions at the French Areva's uranium mine and a military camp in Arlit, in northern Niger. The two bombings killed dozens people and wounded many more others, including those staffs from Areva at Somair uranium mine. "This is a further evidence that the fight we commit against terrorism is a fight in which all countries have, at one time or another, to be involved as they have the same values as ours," Hollande said. In an interview with the BFMTV on Friday, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said French special forces joined an intervention in Agadez, aiming to stop hostage taking following the Thursday's attacks, while confirming that "two terrorist hijackers" were killed in the assault at dawn. France's interests and expatriates have been the target of terrorist groups that menaced to strike them in retaliation for Paris military intervention in Mali, earlier this year, to help fighting against Islamist rebels that seized the country's northern zones.