French Soldiers Hold Gains in Mali
French soldiers massed Sunday in Mali's small towns to hold tentative gains against al Qaeda-backed militants, as officials in Paris awaited troop reinforcements from African nations and assessed the potential duration of what could be a drawn-out military campaign.
French soldiers fortified the town of Niono, 64 kilometers (40 miles) from the military garrison of Diabaly that al Qaeda-backed rebels seized a week earlier, said spokesman for French operations Lt. Col. Emmanuel Dosseur. Further north, troops also dug in at Sevare, a town with a strategic landing strip, as the arrival of French reinforcements accelerated their campaign against al Qaeda-allied ..