French Troops

French prez Hollande vows 'no mercy' if Central Africa child rape allegations are true

French leader Francois Hollande on Thursday vowed to "show no mercy" if peacekeeping troops in the Central African Republic accused of raping starving children in exchange for food were found guilty.

Mali: Al-Qaeda linked jihadist claims responsibility for attack on UN

Friday's attack, the deadliest against the UN mission in Mali, targeted a contingent of peacekeepers from Niger.

French troops clash with Central African Republic gunmen in capital

French troops in Central African Republic clashed with gunmen in the capital Bangui on Monday as they searched for weapons in an operation to disarm rival Muslim and Christian fighters responsible for hundreds of killings since last week.

French troops to leave Timbuktu this week

French airstrikes targeted the fuel depots and desert hideouts of Islamic extremists in northern Mali overnight today, as a military spokeswoman said that French forces plan to hand control of Timbuktu to the Malian army this week.

US backs French military intervention in Mali

"The US is continuing to support international military action in Mali. We support the French goal of denying terrorists a safe haven in the region. We support the French operation," said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney.

Forces secure access to Timbuktu, says France

The move marked the latest inroad by the two-week-old French mission to oust radical Islamists from the northern half of Mali, which they seized more than nine months ago.

Malians celebrate as French troops near Timbuktu

The weekend gains made at Gao and Timbuktu by the French and Malian troops capped a two-week whirlwind intervention by France in its former Sahel colony, which has driven al Qaeda-allied militant fighters northwards into the desert and mountains.

Mali troops reach Islamic stronghold in far east

Mali's military and French forces have pushed toward the Islamic extremist stronghold in the city of Gao, in their farthest push east since launching an operation two weeks ago.

Mali govt warns of human rights violence by French troops

A witness said that he saw soldiers fatally shoot at least three people and dump their bodies in a nearby well.

Why the Malian is army ill-equipped to fight Islamists

Security experts have long expressed concern about the weakness of Mali's military and its inability to contribute forcefully in the international intervention against the Islamist extremists.