French troops expanded their presence in Mali. (US Army Africa/Flickr)

According to Reuters, France stepped up its offensive after six days of airstrikes, calling for an international coalition to help it displace the alliance of Islamist militants that have taken over much of northern Mali. One group, Ansar Dine, is responsible for destroying treasured historical sites in the city of Timbuktu dating back nearly 1,000 years.

Mali's West African neighbors Nigeria and Chad have pledged to send thousands of troops in support of the French effort, which in contrast to many interventions by former colonial powers, has been greeted with enthusiasm by the local population, as the Guardian reports.

However, France does not plan to spearhead efforts in Mali for the long term, according to Reuters:

"President Francois Hollande said on Tuesday French forces would remain in Mali until stability returned. However France hoped to hand over to African forces in its former colony, 'in the coming days or weeks', he added.

The troops from Nigeria and other regional powers will join about 1,700 French troops involved in the operation, part of a contingent expected to reach 2,500 soldiers. France is using Harfang surveillance drones to guide its strikes and also plans to deploy Tiger attack helicopters.

A Malian military source said French special forces units were taking part in the operation."

France has already been the target of retaliation as a result of its intervention, as foreign nationals were taken hostage earlier Wednesday by Islamist militants at a gas facility in Algeria. Most of those taken hostage are citizens of European countries, but some Americans are also being held. Algerians taken hostage have been released, but all of the foreign hostages remain in the custody of the militants at this time.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of Mali here.

Read more of Neon Tommy's coverage of Algeria here.

Reach Executive Producer Matt Pressberg here.