French and British troops will continue working together in the quest to rid the Sahel region of terrorists, despite the looming Brexit.

France and the U.K. have military presence in the region to support the fight against militancy.

Military officials from the two countries visited Mali, Niger and Chad, which with Burkina Faso and Mauritania form the so-called G5 Sahel, an anti-terror force.

"We've got a long, fabulous history of working alongside each other, and I don't expect anything to change anytime soon," Royal Air Force (RAF) Chief of Air Staff Mike Wigston told AFP on a visit to the city of Gao with French counterpart Philippe Lavigne.

"If anything, we are going to work stronger together," he said.

The British general added that the priority of the Sahel deployment "is to stamp out the violent extremism which is making people's lives a misery.”

France deployed troops into Mali in 2013 to help tackle the threat posed by Islamist militants who had seized the northern region of the country.

The deployment of foreign troops into the Sahel has provided a huge boost for the regions security, though the militants still manage to stage attacks occasionally.

"Our air forces are quite similar, they have the same operating capacities and expertise, and tomorrow we will continue to work together to bring security," Lavigne said.

Sources: AFP, VOA