GAO, Mali (AP) — As France prepares to scale back its military presence in Africa, its soldiers are again confronting the very threats that brought the army here in the first place. In northern Mali, some villages in the north are again falling under the control of Islamic extremists who want to impose strict Islamic law. Last month, French President Emmanuel Macron announced the official end of Barkhane, France’s seven-year operation fighting extremists linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State in Africa’s Sahel region. No timeframe has been given, but France’s more than 5,000 troops will be reduced in the coming months.
As France plans to shrink Sahel force, jihadi threat grows
