![](https://www.longwarjournal.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/16-07-17-Infographic-on-shooting-down-helicopter.jpg)
Presence of French special forces in Libya sets off controversy
A helicopter carrying three French soldiers crashed near Benghazi, Libya on July 17, killing the Frenchmen and their Libyan counterparts on board. A new jihadist front called the Benghazi Defense Brigades quickly claimed credit, saying its fighters downed the helo with a shoulder-fired missile. French President Hollande said it was an “accident.” Either way, jihadists and Islamists are now rattling their sabres at France.