BAMAKO, Mali, Sept. 20 (UPI) -- Al Qaida in Mali said it has kidnapped six French nationals and threatened their lives over continued military intervention in the African nation.
Four of the six captives were taken Sept. 16 in northern Niger and are employed by French nuclear giant Areva; two others have been in captivity since last November. The al Qaida group posted a web video of the six men alive and said France has failed to "correct its errors" in Mali, Radio France International reported Thursday.
The terrorists decried "the occupation of Islamic lands and the struggle against Islam and its people" in the North African nation.
French President Francois Hollande met with the families of those kidnapped, but relatives told French media afterward they were no less concerned for their loved ones' safety.
The French government has been using the friendly government in Burkina Faso as an intermediary to negotiate with the kidnappers, but that country's president said efforts have failed thus far.
