French National Assembly on Monday voted in favor of the government's request to extend military operation in Mali to May.

"France must help Mali to win the peace," said Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault, formally requesting the extension of the Serval operation, as required by the Constitution after four months of military intervention, local daily Le Monde said in its report.

By sending 500 French soldiers back home for now, France still maintains 4,000 troops in the West African country.

French army took part in a military intervention since Jan. 11 to help local forces push back an offensive by al-Qaida-linked Islamists that had seized northern Mali and threatened to gain control over the capital Bamako.

So far, French-led troops have stopped the Islamists advancing to the south and driven them from most of their northern strongholds.

France's leadership had pledged to pull out quickly and began withdraw French troops from April. President Francois Hollande had announced on March 28 to cut French troops in Mali from 4,000 to 2,000 by July, and to 1,000 by the end of the year.

So far, five French soldiers have died in the combat in Mali.