French troops prepare to welcome UN peacekeepers in northern Mali city of Gao
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}France's top military chief says troops have begun withdrawing from part of the airport in the northern Malian city of Gao to make room for a United Nations peacekeeping force expected to deploy July 1.
Admiral Edouard Guillaud said during a visit to Gao that African and French troops already deployed in the city would ensure a smooth transition to the peacekeeping force, whose July 1 deployment was approved by the Security Council Tuesday.
Gao was among the cities overtaken by Islamic radicals following a coup in Mali last year. The extremists were driven out when France intervened in January.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The transition to a U.N. force was the top agenda item for a meeting of defense chiefs from the West African regional body ECOWAS that began Wednesday in Accra, Ghana.