MALI-FRANCE-CONFLICT

French general Bernard Barrera, chief of the Serval Forces in Mali, is pictured during the "Gustav operation" on April 7, 2013, some 105 kilometers North of Gao. A French force of 1,000 soldiers has begun a sweep of a river valley thought to be a logistics base for armed Islamists near the Malian city of Gao, an AFP journalist accompanying the mission said. Operation Gustav, one of France's largest actions since its intervention against insurgents in January, will involve dozens of tanks, helicopters, drones and airplanes, said General Bernard Barrera, commander of the French land forces in Mali. AFP PHOTO / JOEL SAGET (Photo credit should read JOEL SAGET/AFP via Getty Images)