France Says Mali Troops to Be Cut to 1,000 by Year-End

by Naharnet Newsdesk 28 March 2013, 22:31

The 4,000 French soldiers deployed in Mali to fight Islamist rebels will be reduced to 1,000 by the end of the year, French President Francois Hollande said Thursday.

"We will start withdrawing at the end of April," he said in an interview with France 2 television. "In July, there will be no more than 2,000 soldiers in Mali. At the end of the year, there will only be 1,000 troops."

Source: Agence France Presse

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