A Frenchman being held hostage in Somalia since 2009 was killed by his captors during a French rescue bid, the Defence Ministry in Paris said Saturday.
Two French commandos and 17 Somali militants were also killed in the raid, the ministry said.
Denis Allex, a secret agent, was kidnapped by the al-Shabaab group in July 2009 together with a colleague who escaped the following month.
BFM TV reported that helicopters were used in the raid on a house in Bulomarer, some 110 kilometres (70 miles) south of the Somali capital Mogadishu.