France Withdraws From Major Base In Mali

French troops leave the base in Timbuktu in northern Mali and hand over the keys to local security forces.
France withdrew its troops from the city after eight years of presence in the framework of the anti-terrorist operation "Barkhan". Earlier, the French left the settlements of Kidal and Tesalit.
More recently the Malian government has hired the Russian “Wagner” private military company to establish security in the jihadists stronghold nation, citing several years of French failure.