France will have to cover the cost of any future US military assistance in the Sahel region of Africa, US defence officials said on Thursday, reports FRANCE 24.
The US has been helping French efforts in the region since France launched an operation in early 2013 to beat back Islamist militants who had taken over northern Mali.
But with President Barack Obama's administration now focused on a major air war against the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq, the United States has told France it will have to foot the bill for future US military help in the Sahel region.
"Going forward, the costs of the mission will have to be reimbursed," a senior US defence official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told AFP.
It was unclear what effect Washington's decision would have on France's military operations in Africa.
The French defence ministry did not respond to FRANCE 24’s request for comment on Friday.
The decision to continue the assistance – albeit in a different form – came only a few days before France's defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Washington for talks at the Pentagon on Thursday, officials said.
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.