A French pilot was killed during a helicopter raid to prevent Islamist groups controlling northern Mali from advancing toward the capital, French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Saturday. "During this intense combat, one of our pilots... was fatally wounded," the minister told reporters. The raid was carried out at around 1500 GMT on Friday and was launched to support Mali ground troops in the battle for the key town of Kona. An operation by French armed forces to rescue a hostage being held in Somalia was not linked to France's military intervention in Mali to help quash a push south by Islamist rebels, Le Drian said on Saturday. "The two operations are totally unconnected," the Defense Minister told a news conference. France had been concerned that other hostages held in Africa would be at risk if they intervened against al Qaeda-linked fighters in Mali.