Chad to Bring Home Half of Its Troops Fighting Sahel Militants 

N'DJAMENA, CHAD - Chad has decided to recall half of its 1,200 troops battling Islamist militants in the tri-border area of Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger, a spokesperson for Chadian authorities said Saturday. 

Chad deployed the soldiers in February to support a France-backed regional fight with insurgents linked to al-Qaida and Islamic State who have destabilized swaths of territory in West Africa's Sahel region in recent years.  The decision to withdraw 600 of these soldiers was made in agreement with Chad's Sahel allies, General Azem Bermandoa Agouna said, speaking on behalf of the Transitional Military Council in Chad.  The recalled Chadian troops would be redeployed elsewhere, Agouna said, without giving further details.