Azrael

Petty Officers Cédric de Pierrepont and Alain Bertoncello, French Navy commandos of Commando Hubert, the Navy's special operations unit, killed on the night of May 9 to 10, 2019, rescuing hostages in northern Burkina Faso. De Pierrepont, born in 1986, and Bertoncello, born in 1991, were decorated operators. De Pierrepont had served in the Mediterranean, the Middle East and the Sahel, and Bertoncello in the Seychelles, the Middle East and the Sahel. On May 1, two French tourists, Patrick Picque and Laurent Lassimouillas, were kidnapped in Benin's Pendjari National Park, and their guide was killed. As the captors moved north into Burkina Faso, French special forces, with U.S. intelligence support, tracked them. They struck at night near Gorom-Gorom. Commandos from Commando Hubert, the 1er RPIMa and Air Parachute Commando No. 10 took part in the assault. The four hostages were freed: the two Frenchmen, an American woman and a South Korean woman, whose presence came as a surprise to the French forces. Four of the captors were killed. De Pierrepont and Bertoncello were killed during the operation. France held a national tribute for them at Les Invalides in Paris on May 14, 2019, led by President Macron. They died doing exactly what their unit trains for, going in at night so strangers could come home. Repos éternel. Never forgotten.