France to draw down Sahel operation, incorporate it into broader mission

Reuters
·1 min read
FILE PHOTO: French soldiers set up camp while waiting for the delivery of a replacement piece for a vehicle in Inat

PARIS (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France's counter-terrorism operation in West Africa would come to an end and be incorporated into a broader international mission.

"We will make a drawdown in an organised way," Macron told a news conference, adding that details would be finalised by the end of June.

"We will have to hold a dialogue with our African and European partners. We will keep a counter-terrorism pillar with special forces with several hundred forces... and there will be a second pillar that will be cooperation, and which we will reinforce."

(Reporting by John Irish; Editing by Gareth Jones)