Thousands of French soldiers are preparing for action

France will end its intervention in Mali when the situation in the African country is stable again, French President Francois Hollande said, raising the prospect of a lengthy and expensive operation against al Qaeda-linked rebels.

Paris has sent hundreds of troops to Mali and on Friday began airstrikes in the north of the country, which Western and regional countries fear could become a base for Islamist extremists to launch attacks in Africa and Europe.

Thousands of African troops are expected to take control of the offensive, but regional troops are not yet "operational" - which could be expected next week, Reuters said.

"We have one goal. To ensure that when we leave the country, when we finish the intervention, Mali is safe, has legitimate authorities, an electoral process and that there are no more terrorists who pose a threat to its territory," Hollande said at a press conference during his visit to the United Arab Emirates.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius, accompanied by Hollande, said that the offensive against the rebels in Mali could last for weeks. However, organizing the elections could take months.

French fighter jets continued to attack the rebels and dozens of French armored vehicles stormed the capital Bamako during the night, increasing the presence of French troops in Mali to 750 soldiers.

Paris authorities plan to deploy 2.500 soldiers to their former colony to strengthen Mali's army and cooperate with the intervention units of West African countries.

Defense ministers from West African countries met in Bamako to endorse a plan for the rapid deployment of 3.300 regional troops, provided for in the United Nations-backed intervention plan.

Northern Mali, a vast and inhospitable area of ​​deserts and rugged mountains, was seized last year by an Islamist alliance made up of Al Qaeda's North African branch AQIM, the MUJWA rogue group and the local Ansar Dine rebels.

Any delay in supporting airstrikes by French forces on Islamist bases could allow insurgents to flee to the desert or mountains, regroup there and launch new attacks, Reuters warned.

The rebels, who French officials say are mobile and well-armed, have shown they can fight back, driving government forces out of Diabali, 350 km from Bamako.

Malians generally welcome the French intervention.

"With the arrival of the French, we began to see that the situation on the front is changing in our favor," said Aba Sanare, a resident of Bamako.

Jihadist revenge

Security experts have warned that a multinational intervention in Mali, billed as the government's campaign against "terrorism", could spark jihadist retaliation against France, the West and African allies.

US officials have even warned of links between AQIM, Boko Haram in Nigeria and al-Shabaab in Somalia. Al Shabaab, which foiled an attempt to rescue a French secret agent held hostage by Somalis, has asked Muslims around the world to rise up against "Christian" attacks against Islam.

"Our brothers in Mali, show patience and tolerance and you will win. Fighter planes have never liberated a country," said the spokesman of the Somali extremists, Sheikh Ali Mohamud Rage.

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