Denmark Starts Pulling Troops out of Mali

Denmark is ready to start pulling its troops out of Mali, Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod said announced on Thursday.

The announcement came after the African country's transitional junta government insisted on an immediate withdrawal.

"We can see that the Malian transitional government, or the coup generals, last night sent out a public statement where they again reiterated that Denmark is not welcome in Mali, and we of course will not put up with that, so therefore we have decided to withdraw our soldiers home," Kofod told journalist at a press briefing in Copenhagen.

Denmark had sent 105 military personnel to Mali earlier this month, after what it said was a "clear invitation" by Mali.

However, the Malian government said this week it was surprised by the Danish presence, pointing out that a decision had yet to be made on a request from Denmark in June to deploy troops.

On Wednesday, France and 14 other countries called on Mali to allow Danish special forces to remain in the African country.