WORLD BRIEFS

MALI: African intervention invited

The military said Mali would welcome a West African intervention force, not just to help recapture the north from rebels but also to assist in other parts of the country. Chief of Staff Ibrahim Dembele said Thursday the volatile country would agree to "security assistance," in addition to help in the north. Ethnic Tuareg rebels took control of the north after a coup in March, but have since been driven out by Islamist rebels who want to impose a strict version of Islamic law. An estimated 300,000 people have fled. Dembele's comments came after a two-day emergency meeting of West African military chiefs of staff in Abidjan, Ivory Coast. In Aspen, Colo., meanwhile, Michael Sheehan, the Defense Department's assistant secretary for special operations, said Thursday the United States is likely to weigh options ranging from military assistance to direct strikes to drive a growing al-Qaida presence out of Mali. U.S. officials first must find ways to work with the post-coup government in Bamako, Sheehan said at the Aspen Security Forum.

UNITED NATIONS: Hope for global arms curbs

A revised draft of a new UN treaty to regulate the multibillion-dollar global arms trade raised hopes from the British government, the leading proponent, that a historic agreement could be reached by Friday's deadline for action. The draft circulated late Thursday closed several loopholes, though the Washington-based Arms Control Association said further improvements are needed to strengthen measures against illicit arms transfers. U.S. opponents, especially the powerful National Rifle Association, have portrayed the treaty as a surrender of gun ownership rights enshrined in the U.S. Constitution.

AFGHANISTAN: Bomb kills 2 NATO troops

A bomb killed two NATO service members Thursday in the south, the U.S.-led coalition said. The nationalities of the two were not disclosed. The deaths bring the number of foreign troops killed this month to 38, and the total for the year to 253.