French forces have “neutralised” several Al-Qaeda members in Mali’s troubled north, where the group claimed responsibility for the execution of two French journalists, the chief of defence staff in Paris said Thursday.

Russia is offering to sell Egypt modern helicopters and air defence systems in a landmark deal reportedly worth $2 billion that would mark a revival of large-scale military cooperation, a Russian official said Friday.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan will pay a two-day visit to Russia next week to discuss the ongoing crisis in Syria. The Turkish prime minister is set to attend the fourth meeting of the High Level Cooperation