The French Government has told the United Nation Security Council that the African Union-led mission in Mali should become a United Nations peacekeeping Mission as soon as possible.

French forces were deployed nearly a month ago to combat al-Qaeda-linked militants who had taken over Mali’s desert northern regions pronouncing it an Islamic State.

But France says it wants to begin pulling out its 4,000 troops in March for its own internal security measures.

The French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told the United Nations Security Council that the Security Council needs to step up measures to resolve the conflict once and for all.

“From the moment that security is assured, we can envisage without changing the structures that it can be placed under the framework of UN peacekeeping operations,” Mr. Fabius said.

France wants the UN force to help stabilize Mali and seek an end to long-standing rivalry between ethnic Tuaregs and Arabs and the rest of the population.

Latest report from the town of Gao in the north indicates that the Islamist Fighters have come back to the town and are in battle with Malian Forces.

The French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian told France Radio 1 that it is becoming much more difficult for the French troops as the Islamist Fighters have adopted a tactical strategy to stretch the conflict beyond imagination.

“When you leave the centre of captured cities, you meet jihadis left behind, which is making the combat operation much more difficult” Mr. Le Drian said.

Eyewitnesses said French and African troops had left their military base in Gao but came back to engage some Islamist militants, in a heavy bombardment outside the town.

According to some political analysts, it seems France cannot handle the combat operation alone and might be the reason why it is calling on the United Nations for help.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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