French Minister of Defense Jean-Yves Le Drian says that the capacities of armed terrorist groups in Mali have "considerably declined as a result of eight months of military and stabilization operations conducted by the French army, the forces of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali and the Malian armed forces."
Le Drian, who previously served as president of the Brittany region, was appointed defense minister by French President Francois Hollande in May 2012.
