15/02/2014
Al-Qaida-linked militants threaten Mali as France cuts force
GAO, Mali ? As Ali Aboubacar Maiga sold red onions and potatoes in this northern Malian town, he shook his head at France's decision to start withdrawing soldiers a year after they routed al-Qaida-linked Islamist militants. quot;We don't want France to leave. The more security we have the better,quot; Maiga, a 46-year-old farmer, said in an interview in the central market, which the French rebuilt after it was destroyed in fighting. quot;Nowadays we can work, it is way better than it used to be during the occupation.quot; France is reducing the number of its troops in the West African nation to 1,000 from 2,500 now, with President Francois Hollande saying on Jan. 8 the intervention's...
