Egypt to withdraw peacekeeping troops from Mali, UN says

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The United Nations mission in Mali says that Egypt will withdraw its troops from the West African county by mid-August, citing deadly attacks against its peacekeepers. Seven Egyptian peacekeepers have been killed in Mali so far this year. Olivier Salgado, the spokesman of the U.N. mission in Mali, on Friday confirmed that Egypt will suspend its activities in Mali. Egypt currently contributes about 1,030 troops and 24 staff officers to the Mali mission. Mali has struggled to contain an Islamic extremist insurgency since 2012. The U.N. force has said that more than 250 of its peacekeepers and personnel have died in Mali since 2013.