Mali accuses France of abandoning country by reducing troops fighting jihadists

Barely a month after the Afghan debacle, lleaders in Mali have accused France of abandoning it in the fight against jihadist insurgents by reducing its forces there.

France insists it’ll still have thousands of troops on the ground, angrily accusing Mali’s junta of “wiping their feet on the blood of French soldiers”.

But the Malian president has warned that he could start looking for protection elsewhere, including private security forces from Russia.