The Pentagon Press Briefing Room seal as seen March 27, 2020, Washington, D.C. (DoDo photo by Lisa Ferdinando)

By Gary Raynaldo     DIPLOMATIC  TIMES

WASHINGTON  –   PENTAGON  – French  President Emmanuel Macron caused an uproar after he warned last week that France will pull its troops out of Mali if it embraces radical Islamism following the second coup in nine months. France has 5,100 troops in the Sahel region as part of its Operation Barkhane which has been in the forefront in the war against Islamist militancy since 2014.  It is beyond comprehension how President Macron could abandon Mali and the Sahel, leaving the region at the mercy of violent extremists. Mali coup leader Col. Assimi Goita was sworn in Monday as president of a transitional government.  Macron told Le Journal du Dimanche newspaper that he had told regional leaders that France would not support countries where there was no democratic legitimacy or transition, and that France had no intention of keeping its troops in Africa forever, according to BBC News. If France walks away from the Sahel, the entire region could come under the influence of Islamist militants. 

Meanwhile, the Pentagon’s press secretary said during a press briefing Friday he did not have a reaction by  Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin to comments and potential decisions by France. However, the Pentagon press secretary said the U.S. would continue to support the militaries of its African partners in the fight against violent extremism. 

“Our strategic objectives in Africa are focused on protecting the homeland and U.S. personnel countering malign influences that seek to further destabilize the continent and responding to regional crisis.”  – Pentagon Press Secretary John  F. Kirby. 

(Photo credit: Gary Raynaldo  ©Diplomatic  Times)   Pentagon Press Secretary John F. Kirby briefs reporters at the Pentagon in Washington DC.  June 4, 2021. 

“We continue to support the militaries of our Africa and European partners in their fight against violent extremist organizations, and we do that through security cooperation, partner capacity, intelligence, and intelligence sharing efforts. So we’re going to continue that work along with our partners and friends on the continent and in Europe.”

-Pentagon Press Secretary John  Kirby