France is not backing down deploying more troops in Mali. .<br/> <br />Despite threats from militants to attack French interests globally, France now has 1,800 troops on the ground in Mali.<br/> <br />The first apparent retaliatory attack, came earlier in the week when al Qaeda-linked militants took dozens of foreigners hostage in Algeria, blaming Algerian cooperation with France<br/> <br />France has pledged to keep troops on the ground until stability returns.<br/> <br />For many, the French troops are a welcome sight.<br/> <br />There are unconfirmed reports that one town has already been recaptured from the rebels.<br/> <br />France ordered the intervention in Mali saying Islamists could turn the northern part of the country into a "terrorist state."<br/> <br />SOUNDBITE)(French) KOURA COULIBALY, SARAKALA HEALTH CENTRE NURSE, SAYING:<br/> <br />"At the beginning we were afraid. But now where we are today, thank God these soldiers are here, all around us."<br/> <br />A total of 2,500 French troops are expected in Mali but Paris is keen to swiftly hand the mission over to West African forces following a U.N. mandate to help Mali recapture its north.
