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France will not delay its troop withdrawal from Mali despite a resurgence in violence that saw two French journalists killed at the weekend, Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Tuesday. France, which sent soldiers to its former colony in January to combat militants who had taken over swathes of the country, has already pushed back by two months plans to reduce troop numbers to 1,000, from 3,200 by the end of the year. France launched air strikes and sent thousands of soldiers into Mali in January to drive back al Qaeda-linked rebels it said could turn Mali into a base for militant attacks. Islamists scattered during the French assault and a presidential election was held in August that brought Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to power.More...