PARIS (Reuters) - A French soldier killed in Mali died after an attack by militants on Friday, Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on Sunday.

“...Fabien Jacq died in the night of Friday to Saturday after an attack by a terrorist group in northern Mali in a zone that is still fragile,” Le Drian told Europe 1 radio.

The French authorities had announced the soldier’s death on Saturday, citing an explosion that hit a military convoy.

Islamist militant group Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for the attack, but the French defense ministry had said it was not able to corroborate the claim.