NEW : Defense officials : U.S. has already started sharing intelligence with the French . NEW : ` ` We had no other choice , '' says the French ambassador to the United Nations . ' New York Times reports that France is now considering a military strike on Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by President Bashar Assad last week. Nigeria , Niger , Burkina Faso , Togo , Senegal and Benin are among the countries that have pledged to send troops , French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told reporters Monday . Official : Terrorism in Mali ` ` is a cancer which could have spread if we had not intervened ''
NEW : Defense officials : U.S. has already started sharing intelligence with the French . NEW : ` ` We had no other choice , '' says the French ambassador to the United Nations . 'New York Times reports that France is now considering a military strike on Syria in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack by President Bashar Assad last week. Official : Terrorism in Mali ` ` is a cancer which could have spread if we had not intervened ''