One French soldier and 17 militants are killed in a failed attempt to free a French hostage in Bulo Marer, Somalia.

On 11 January 2013, the French military attempted a rescue operation in Bulo Marer, Lower Shabelle, Somalia to free French hostage Denis Allex from the militant Islamist organization al-Shabaab. The operation failed: Allex was executed during the raid and two French commandos and at least eight civilians were killed in a firefight.