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France, UK say They Look Beyond Brexit in Mali Cooperation

Agence France-Presse

   GAO, MALI, - Sharing the cockpit of a helicopter on sizzling tarmac,
   French and British air force chiefs vowed to pursue the joint fight
   against jihadists in the heart of the Sahel even as the shadow of
   Brexit looms over their countries.

   "We've got a long, fabulous history of working alongside each other,
   and I don't expect anything to change anytime soon," Royal Air Force
   (RAF) Chief of Air Staff Mike Wigston told AFP on a visit to the city
   of Gao with French counterpart Philippe Lavigne.

   "If anything, we are going to work stronger together," he said.

   Backed by 100 British personnel, France has a 4,500-strong Sahel force
   supporting national armies struggling with a seven-year-old jihadist
   revolt.

   Thousands of civilians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have
   fled their homes.