U.S. to Provide Additional Assistance for the French-Led Intervention in Mali

Will give more logistical support

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has agreed to a French request for airlift capacity to help France move its troops and equipment to Mali, a limited expansion of American support in the battle against Islamist rebels there, U.S. officials said on Thursday.

The U.S. decision, while widely expected, comes after an Obama administration legal review to decide what assistance Washington could provide to France, which last week began a military operation against the militants in Mali.