France to meet Sahel leaders as it mulls troop drawdown
(WorldNews France)

BAMAKO, Mali/N`DJAMENA, Chad (AFP) - France and five allies gather on Monday (Feb 15) to discuss the Sahel`s Islamist insurgency, with Paris looking for support enabling it to cut French troop numbers in the strife-torn region. Leaders of the so-called G5 Sahel - Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger - are to attend the two-day summit in the Chadian capital N`Djamena, with French President Emmanuel Macron attending via videolink. The meeting comes a year after France boosted its Sahel deployment, seeking to wrench back momentum in the brutal, long-running battle. But despite touted military successes, Islamist militants remain in...