Revelation 6:3-4 NCV When the Lamb opened the second seal, I heard the second living creature say, "Come!" Then another horse came out, a red one. Its rider was given power to take away peace (prosperity, rest) from the earth and to make people kill each other (butcher, slaughter, to maim violently, in streets), and he was given a big sword (assassins sword, terrorist, loud, mighty, sore afraid).
French President Francois Hollande has announced a timetable for the removal of all French troops from the battle with Islamists in Mali.
The first wave of troops will be withdrawn in March and the remainder will be gone by the end of April. Over 4,000 French troops have been deployed to the region to help stop an advance of a brutal al-Qaeda affiliated terrorist group.
Hollande said that the operation by French troops had driven the terrorists to hideouts in the northern mountains and that they have killed “terrorist leaders,” although he did not give the names of the leaders killed by his troops.
France had previously announced that if everything went according to plan troops would begin to withdraw in March. Hollande’s announcement made no proclamation that the troops had achieved what the nation considers victory but the withdrawal is similar to previously announced plans should victory be achieved.
Islamists had taken control of northern Mali a year ago after a military coup in the capital. France sent troops to the nation in January after it appeared the terrorists were about to launch an assault on the nation’s capital in an attempt to install strict Sharia law on the country.
A letter from Al-Qaeda leadership to the terrorists in the country was found after the recapture of northern cities that showed even the terrorist group’s leaders were concerned about the speed and severity of the Malian terrorists installation of Sharia.
