BAMAKO, Mali: French forces left the city of Timbuktu late Tuesday, the latest sign that the former colonial power is drawing down its presence in northern Mali nearly nine years after driving Islamic extremists from power there in a military intervention.
The symbolic move comes amid fears about whether the Malian military can now step in and fend off the extremists, who have regrouped and expanded their reach even further southward since the 2013 offensive.
In a communique, the French military emphasized late Tuesday that the Malian military maintains a strong garrison in Timbuktu, in addition to nearly 2,200 U.N. peacekeepers who are permanently deployed there.
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