U.S. General: Mali Military Needs Months to Rebuild

The head of the U.S. Africa Command says Mali's military will take months to rebuild — even as West African nations and their Western backers examine ways of dislodging al-Qaida from the country's vast northeast.

Gen. Carter Ham says a weekend agreement by west African bloc Ecowas provided the "broad outlines" of a possible military intervention led by Mali's government against al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and its allies.

Speaking Wednesday to reporters in Paris, Ham estimated AQIM and two allied groups have 800 to 1,200 "hardline fighters" who control the northeast.

Western nations fear the area could become a breeding ground for terrorism against U.S. or European targets. Ham said Mali's government and Ecowas have not asked for any specific U.S. military capabilities. The EU is considering noncombat support.