- A monthlong French offensive has killed "hundreds" of Islamist
fighters in Mali, the French defense minister said, as his troops
prepare to start withdrawing next month.
French Defense Minister
Jean-Yves Le Drian gave the number of casualties to CNN affiliate BFM on
Tuesday night. He did not offer additional details.
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Hours earlier, France
told the local Metro newspaper that it expects to begin withdrawing its
troops out of Mali in March and leave African forces in control.
French Foreign Minister
Laurent Fabius said despite the withdrawal, troops will continue
operations to flush out militants in "some terrorist havens" in northern
Mali.
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At Mali's request, France
launched the offensive against militants in its former colony last
month. The ground-and-air campaign has sent Islamist fighters who had
seized the northern region fleeing into the vast desert.
French President Francois
Hollande visited Timbuktu last week, just days after French forces had
freed the fabled city from Islamist militants.
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French-led troops now
control Timbuktu and the city of Gao, along with a swath in between the
two that was an Islamist stronghold for almost a year.
Troops are working to secure Kindal, the last major city under the grip of militants.
Over the past two days, sandstorms have hampered operations across the country.
Islamic extremists carved out a large portion of the north last year after a chaotic military coup.
They banned music,
smoking, drinking and watching sports on television, and destroyed
historic tombs and shrines in the region. World leaders feared that the
al Qaeda-linked militants would turn the area into a terrorist haven.
France says it has 4,000
soldiers in Mali. Its troops are fighting alongside nearly 3,800
African soldiers, it said, a number expected to go up.
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