BAMAKO (Reuters) -Mali’s foreign minister has dismissed as implausible the notion that jihadists could soon take the capital, in the first extensive government response to security fears that have spurred Western countries to urge their citizens to leave.

The landlocked West African country is battling al Qaeda-linked jihadists who in September announced what they described as a fuel blockade that has led to long lines at petrol stations in the capital and temporarily forced schools to close.

The latest show of force by the group, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), has raised concern abroad that it might eventually try to impose its rule over the country.

The African Union on Sunday called for an urgent international response to worsening security conditions, and Western count

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