Mujao

(Newser) - France's foreign minister is optimistic about the campaign it started in Mali Friday, saying it will be over within "weeks." He rejected a comparison to the Afghanistan war, adding, "we have no intention of staying forever," the BBC reports. The country's defense minister was...

(Newser) - Since the military coup in Mali earlier this year, al-Qaeda's influence in the African nation has increased—to the point that northern Mali, the largest territory held by the terror group, is now basically al-Qaeda's own country. The AP takes an extensive look, describing the elaborate series of...

(Newser) - The Islamic rebel groups in control of much of northern Mali are continuing their drive to bring in Sharia law's harsh punishments. In a village near the regional capital Gao, extremists cut off the hand off an alleged thief in front of dozens of witnesses, the BBC reports. "...