Military intervention to recapture Mali's north from Al-Qaeda linked Islamists will be an uphill task requiring "toughened" soldiers, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said Sunday. The vast region fell under control of radical Islamist groups including the Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) in the chaos that followed a March coup in a country that was once considered one of Africa's most stable democracies.The United Nations
...what started out as a a diplomatic initiative, now trying to edge its way into legislative, judicial, and executive areas...
and the European Union
...the successor to the Holy Roman Empire, only without the Hapsburgs and the nifty uniforms and the dancing...
have agreed to provide training for Malian troops "which can start immediately," Fabius told French television.
"The Malian troops will be trained and they will try to retake the cities in the north like Timbuktu, Kidal etc.," he said, adding that this could start in weeks.
"After that there will be another operation which is more difficult that is to confront Al-Qaeda and its outlets. This requires hardened troops," he said.