What began as a French military reaction to an Islamic insurgency in Mali in 2012 has now grown into a more permanent and cross-border counter-terrorism effort by France and five African nations called Operation Barkhane. Currently, about four thousand French soldiers are involved, based in Mali, Chad, Niger, Ivory Coast, and Burkina Faso, and operating across the entire southern Sahara region. France’s military is also coordinating with West African forces, UN peacekeeping forces, and other allied military operations in the area. Reuters photographer Benoit Tessier spent several days in Mali with some of these French soldiers and their Malian partners recently.
Operation Barkhane: France's Counterterrorism Forces in Africa
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A French soldier from the 12th Armored Division uses his binoculars while standing atop an armored vehicle during the regional anti-insurgent Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, on October 17, 2017. #
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The Tomb of Askia is pictured in Gao, Mali, on October 14, 2017. The structure was originally built in the year 1495 as the burial place for Askia Mohammad, Emperor of the Songhai Empire. #
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Members of a French military medical unit conduct an assistance operation for the local population during Operation Barkhane in Inaloglog, Mali, on October 18, 2017. #
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A child is handed a surgical glove inflated like a balloon, as members of a French military medical unit conduct an assistance operation with children from nomad families in Tin Hama, Mali, on October 19, 2017. #
Benoit Tessier / Reuters -
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