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ABUJA — A West African summit on Sunday agreed on a military force of 3,300 troops with a one-year mandate to wrest control of northern Mali from Islamist extremists, Ivory Coast's president said.
"We foresee 3,300 soldiers for a timeframe of one year," Alassane Ouattara told journalists after the summit of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The troops would come primarily from ECOWAS nations, but possibly from countries outside the bloc as well, he said.
link--->AFP: W. Africa agrees 3,300-strong force for Mali
"We foresee 3,300 soldiers for a timeframe of one year," Alassane Ouattara told journalists after the summit of the 15-nation Economic Community of West African States in the Nigerian capital Abuja.
The troops would come primarily from ECOWAS nations, but possibly from countries outside the bloc as well, he said.
link--->AFP: W. Africa agrees 3,300-strong force for Mali