A man smokes several cigarettes to celebrate on January 29, 2013 in Ansongo, a town south of the northern Malian city of Gao, Niger troops entering the city. Troops from Niger and Mali on January 29 entered Ansongo, which along with Gao was recaptured by French-led soldiers over the weekend in a lightning offensive against radicals holding Mali's north. So far, just 2,000 African troops have been sent to Mali or neighboring Niger, many of them from Chad, to boost the French-led offensive which began on January 11 and led to the recapture of several towns, including Ansongo.
{"Image ImageDescription": "A man smokes several cigarettes to celebrate on January 29, 2013 in Ansongo, a town south of the northern Malian city of Gao, Niger troops entering the city. Troops from Niger and Mali on January 29 entered Ansongo, which along with Gao was recaptured by French-led soldiers over the weekend in a lightning offensive against radicals holding Mali's north. So far, just 2,000 African troops have been sent to Mali or neighboring Niger, many of them from Chad, to boost the French-led offensive which began on January 11 and led to the recapture of several towns, including Ansongo.       AFP PHOTO / KAMBOU SIA        (Photo credit should read KAMBOU SIA/AFP via Getty Images)", "Image Copyright": "2013 AFP"}