French President Francois Hollande has said French forces will strike terrorists every time they leave their hiding places. (Agence France-Presse)
French President Francois Hollande is ruling out unilateral military intervention in Libya but says that French forces will strike Islamic extremists leaving the country to bring arms to Africa's Sahel region.
Hollande urged the United Nations to take action to stem growing violence in the country.
Speaking today on France-Inter radio, Hollande said the French forces will strike the fighters "every time they will leave these places where they are hiding" in southern Libya.
For that purpose, France is setting up a military base in northern Niger, only 100 kilometers (60 miles) from the lawless Libyan border region.
France has deployed some 3,000 troops, 200 armored vehicles and six fighter jets in its former colonies of Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mali to fight Islamic extremists.