At around 2:00a.m. local time on 11 January 2013, 50 French Special Forces from the DGSE's highly secretive direct action unit called "Division Action" supported by EC-725 Caracal helicopters dispatched from the Mistral,[REF][REF][REF] that had been on an enforced news blackout for weeks.
Additionally, the French military had reported that one soldier was missing; they were almost certain he was killed during the attack.