that point, the french government decided this was their responsibility and that they would intervene to save mali. they would send thousands of french soldiers, ground troops and air power into mali and they would take direct military action to repel those islamic groups and they pushed them back into the desert and they really did reverse what otherwise looks like was going to be a complete take over of that country and they took back timbuktu and they took back all the territory radical groups had been controlling. in terms of geographic control, that french assault in 2013, it works. but it's never that simple. while that successful military campaign was underway, one of these terrorist groups launched a horrific terrorist attack right next door to mali in aljeeria. you probably remember because of