A Swedish instructor watches as Malian soldiers practice arming their weapons in the village of Koulikoro, outside Bamako, Mali. In preparation for the final pullout of French troops from Mali, a European Union team has started training Malian soldiers to battle jihadists. (Associated Press)
** FILE ** Malian soldiers stand around the debris left after a jihadist suicide bomber blew himself up at a Malian army checkpoint near the airport in Timbuktu, Mali, on Thursday, March 21, 2013. (AP Photo)
** FILE ** French soldiers patrol in the Mettatai region in northern Mali on Friday, March 8, 2013. (AP Photo/French Army Communications Audiovisual Office [ECPAD], Arnaud Roine)