France vows to 'decapitate' al-Qaeda in Sahel region

PARIS

With no troop reduction, France will continue its military engagement in the Sahel region to help "decapitate" groups affiliated with al-Qaeda, President Emmanuel Macron vowed at the end of a two-day videoconference with leaders of Chad.

Addressing a press conference late Tuesday from the Elysee Palace in Paris, Macron said it would be "paradoxical to weaken our system at a time when we have a political and military alignment favorable to the achievement of our objectives."

Significant changes will be made to the military system in the Sahel, "but not immediately," he added, rejecting the idea of a "rush."

A mass withdrawal would be a mistake, he said, adding that he had studied the possibility. In the long term, he said France would hold discussions with the G5 Sahel region countries' leaders to evaluate the country's military presence.

The statement marks a shift from Defense Minister Florence Parly's assertion last month that France was considering troop reductions in the wake of its military successes in 2020.

Parly's statements came in the wake of successive lethal attacks by armed terrorist groups against French troops in the "three borders" region adjoining Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Under Operation Barkhane, France has deployed 5,100 troops in the region, and Macron has also welcomed ongoing international mobilization of counter-terror operations in the Sahel.

Several European countries have committed military engagement with a special joint force. The Takuba Task Force, launched last year, including troops from Estonia, the Czech Republic, Sweden, Italy, Denmark, Portugal and the Netherlands, is already deploying officers and could step up their engagement.

Macron said the objective is to have 2,000 troops under Takuba and around 500 French soldiers who would cooperate and be there in the long term alongside Sahelian soldiers.

Idriss Deby Itno, Chad's president, also announced the deployment of 1,200 soldiers to regain control of the "three borders."

Macron pledged that France would continue joint operations with partner countries in the Sahel. He explained the aim is to strengthen actions against terrorism while delivering a "political jolt."

"We must not relax the pressure on terrorist groups but continue the hold on the three borders region with concrete operations," he said.