( CNN ) -- A Frenchman was captured among jihadists fighting international forces in northern Mali and is being extradited to France , the French defense minister said Friday . French forces are dealing with `` determined terrorists '' in Mali , said Defense Minister Jean Yves Le Drian , speaking to French radio station Europe 1 from the African nation 's capital , Bamako . Mali : The long , troubled desert road ahead . And the presence of the French citizen among them , as well as a French-Algerian man who was arrested last weekend , demonstrates how northern Mali had become a magnet for extremists , he said . `` This shows that there existed a kind of terrorist war network , which would welcome young people in search of a radical destiny , as some have done in Afghanistan or Syria , '' he told the radio station . The French-Algerian man , who was sought by French police , was detained by Malian officers in northern Mali , Le Drian said . He was extradited Thursday to France , he said . Read more : What 's behind the instability in Mali ? `` We knew that this part of Mali was potentially the sanctuary of al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb . We were not mistaken , this is the case , '' Le Drian said . `` We are dealing with determined terrorists , who are heavily armed and who are waging significant battles and inflicting major damage . '' Islamist extremists carved out a large haven in northern Mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party MNLA . The militants banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . They also destroyed historic tombs and shrines . French involvement in the conflict began on January 11 , the day after militants said they had seized the city of Konna , east of Diabaly in central Mali , and were poised to advance south toward Bamako , the capital . Nearly 4,000 French soldiers are now deployed in Mali , according to the French Defense Ministry website , alongside about 6,300 troops from Chad and the African-led International Support Mission to Mali . Q & A : What 's behind the instability in Mali ? In the past few weeks , French and African forces have helped Malian troops drive the militants out of their strongholds in the north , including cities like Gao , Kidal and Timbuktu . Some of their number are believed to now to be hiding out in remote mountains near the border with Algeria . French troops are continuing to `` comb '' through the Adrar des Ifoghas Mountains for the militants , French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Thursday , and are keeping a strong presence in Gao , where `` important pockets of terrorist groups remain . '' France is using DNA tests to identify the Islamist fighters killed in recent battles in northern Mali , Fabius said . Those tests could establish whether Moktar Belmoktar or Abdelhamid Abou Zeid -- two men who have been major forces in al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb -- are among the dead , as has been suggested by others but not confirmed by France . France will begin to reduce its troop levels in Mali next month in an effort to have West African forces , with the support of the United Nations , take over and maintain security in the country , Fabius said .
A Frenchman found among jihadists in Mali is being extradited , French official says . His arrest follows that of a French-Algerian man last weekend , he tells French radio . Defense minister : Northern Mali has been a sanctuary for al Qaeda-linked terrorists . Nearly 4,000 French troops are deployed in Mali , alongside 6,300 from an African-led force .