French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Friday arrived in the warn-torn town of Gao in northern Mali after Paris declared more than 100 rebels were killed including two commanders, French sources disclosed.

The French defense chief landed at the airport of Gao, the biggest town in northern Mali, on Friday afternoon, to salute to French and Malian soldiers in operations against Al-Qaida linked rebels.

Paris on an earlier occasion said more than 100 rebels were killed in the recent land operations including a top commander of Al-Qaida's North African branch AQIM Abdelhamid Abou Zeid.

The French army also admitted the loss of four soldiers in the mopping-up operations.

France plans to withdraw its 4,000 troops in Mali next month after the Jan. 11 intervention.

Rebels have fled out of major towns in northern Mali under bombardments by French warplanes, while land confrontations continue. With the departure of French soldiers, 8,000 or so African troops will go on with the rest of the operations in Mali's desert north.

Rebels took advantage of Mali's military coup on March 22, 2012 to occupy the north.