Mali battle

Troops from a regional West African force are due to begin deploying within a week, the French prime minister has said.
Jean-Marc Ayrault said on Tuesday in Paris that the looming deployment meant French forces would not have to bear the burden of fighting in Mali for very long.

"France is today in the vanguard, but within a week African forces will start to deploy on the ground," he said.
Ayrault's comments come as President Francois Hollande said France will end its intervention in Mali only when stability has returned to the West African country.
"We have one goal. To ensure that when we leave, when we end our intervention, Mali is safe, has legitimate authorities, an electoral process and there are no more terrorists threatening its territory," Hollande said in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday.
His comments raise the prospects of a costly, drawn-out operation against the al-Qaeda-linked rebels in northern Mali.
France has deployed 750 soldiers to the country and defence sources said it planned to boost its presence to a total of 2,500 troops.
The United States is still assessing what military aid to give France, but has no plans to send US troops, defence secretary Leon Panetta said on Tuesday.
"There is no consideration of putting any American boots on the ground at this time," Panetta told a news conference in Lisbon.
                                      Source: Al jazeera.com