French to Stay in Mali Until at Least July
French troops will stay in the West African country of Mali at least until July, amid tougher-than-expected resistance from Islamic fighters, officials have told The Associated Press, despite earlier government promises to begin a quick pullout within weeks.
France's leadership has painted the intervention against al-Qaida-backed radicals in Mali, which began in January, as a swift and limited one, and said that France could start withdrawing its 4,000 troops in Mali in March and hand over security duties to an African force.
But the combat in rugged Sahara Desert mountains is growing harder, and there's a rising threat that the militants will turn to suicide bombings, hostage-taking and other guerrilla tactics.
Source: AP. Read full article. (link)
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..."despite earlier government promises to begin a quick pullout within weeks."...
I'm sure someone is surprised by this. Just like I'm sure people think they can get free shit. -
"French to Stay in Mali Until at Least July"
OF WHAT YEAR??!!
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Good for them. They couldn't make it to July in '40.
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That's not really true though. You had a lot of French collaborators on one side, and the Free French on the others.