dagblog - Comments for "French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance"

Although I don't support the

Aaron Carine — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:27:59 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

Although I don't support the French military intervention, I'll admit that that it has more justification than many interventions. It will be bad news for us if Al Qaeda in the Maghreb acquires a base in Mali. It's interesting that Obama isn't willing to do in Syria and Mali what he did in Libya. He probably now regrets the whole Libyan adventure.

U.S. Agrees to Help French

artappraiser — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 00:17:00 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

U.S. Agrees to Help French Fly Troops to Mali
By Adam Entous, Wall Street Journal, Jan 17, 2013, 3:57 p.m. ET

WASHINGTON—The Obama administration has agreed to a French request for military transport planes to help move French troops and equipment to Mali, but has yet to decide whether to provide surveillance aircraft and tankers to refuel French fighters, U.S. and Western officials said.

The limited U.S. response to the French request reflects White House concern about being pulled into another costly conflict after 11 years of war in Afghanistan.

France would pay nearly $20 million to reimburse the U.S. for the cargo plane deployments, Western officials said.

"We have some unique airlift capability, and we are working with the French to provide them support in moving troops and equipment," said White House National Security Council spokesman Tommy Vietor. The American C-17 transport planes would help shuttle French troops and heavy equipment, including light tanks and armored vehicles, to Mali, according to U.S. and other Western officials. The Air Force cargo planes will be flown by American pilots and crew, officials said [....]

A compilation of some

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 23:57:07 +0000

In reply to Sounds remarkably like

A compilation of some Mali/Afghanistan comparisons with links:

Mali and the Afghanistan comparison
By Clare Richardson, Reuters "Events," January 17, 2013

Al Qaeda Country: Why Mali

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 06:40:39 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

Al Qaeda Country: Why Mali matters.
BY PETER CHILSON, Op-Ed @ ForeignPolicy.com, Jan. 15, 2013

Read Peter Chilson's gripping new ebook on the lost country of Mali.

In 1893, in West Africa's upper Niger River basin -- what is now central Mali -- the French army achieved a victory that had eluded it for almost 50 years: the destruction of the jihadist Tukulor Empire, one of the last great challenges to France's rule in the region. The Tukulor Empire's first important conquest had come decades earlier, in the early 1850s, when its fanatical founder, El Hajj Umar Tall, led Koranic students and hardened soldiers to topple the Bambara kingdoms along the banks of the Niger. Umar imposed a strict brand of Islamic law, reportedly enslaving or killing tens of thousands of non-believers over a half century. He is said to have personally smashed to pieces captured idols, and once told a French officer he encountered at a well guarded fort to "Go back to your own country, accursed man." Umar traveled widely, prophesying the end of French rule and preaching about the paradise that awaits those who die by jihad. Killed in the explosion of a gunpowder cache in 1864, it still took almost three decades for the French to wrest control over the middle and upper reaches of the Niger River, including Timbuktu and much of the desert to the north.

Now, the jihadists are back and so are the French -- the two sides slugging it out over the same real estate they fought over 120 years ago. An alliance of jihadist groups, [....]

Cross link to separate news

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:14:22 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

Cross link to separate news thread on

Militants Seize Americans and Other Hostages in Algeria (related to Mali operation)

French troops in direct

artappraiser — Thu, 17 Jan 2013 04:11:26 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

French troops in direct combat with insurgents 'within hours'
By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris, Afua Hirsch in Bamako and agencies, guardian.co.uk, 16 Jan 2013 06.56 EST

French troops will be in direct combat with Islamist militants in Mali "within hours", France's military chief of staff has said.

Admiral Édouard Guillaud said on Wednesday morning that French ground operations had begun overnight – hours after the defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, said France's intervention would continue "as long as necessary".

Le Drian had confirmed on Tuesday night that the French intervention in Mali would take the form of both air and ground operations, while preparations continue for the arrival of a west African force."Now we're on the ground," Guillaud said. "We will be in direct combat within hours."

Guillaud accused the insurgents of taking human shields and said France would do its utmost to make sure civilians were not wrongly targeted. "When in doubt, we will not fire," he said. [....]

A column of French armoured vehicles left Mali's capital Bamako late on Tuesday night and headed north towards insurgent frontlines. Military sources said French and Malian government troops had encircled the central town of Diabaly, which was overrun by Islamists on Monday, after advancing to the nearby town of Niono on Tuesday. Diabaly is 220 miles (350km) from Bamako [....]

The NYT also has a new

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:27:06 +0000

In reply to Mali: who is doing

The NYT also has a new on-the-ground report:

Facing the French, Mali Rebels Dig In and Blend In
By Adam Nossiter and Eric Schmitt, Jan 15,/16 2013

BAMAKO, Mali — In the face of fierce, all-night bombardment by the French military, Mali’s Islamist insurgents have hunkered down to fight again.

Barging into some of the mud-brick houses in the battle zone and ejecting residents, they have sought to implant themselves in the local population and add to the huge challenges facing the French military campaign to loosen their grip on Mali.

“They are in the town, almost everywhere in the town,” said Bekaye Diarra, who owns the pharmacy in Diabaly, which experienced French bombing well into the morning on Tuesday but remained under the control of the insurgents. “They are installing themselves.”

Benco Ba, a parliamentary deputy there, described residents in fear of the conflict that had descended on them. “The jihadists are going right into people’s families,” he said. “They have completely occupied the town. They are dispersed. It’s fear.”

Just five days into the French military campaign, it was becoming clear that airstrikes alone will probably not be enough to root out these battle-hardened fighters, who know well the harsh grassland and desert terrain of Mali and have spent months accumulating arms, constructing defenses in their northern strongholds and reinforcing their ranks with children as young as 12 years old. [....]

Mali: who is doing

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:19:25 +0000

In reply to French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

Mali: who is doing what?
List of what France, West Africa, UK, US, Belgium, Canada, Germany and Denmark are contributing to the operation
by Julian Borger and agencies @ The Guardian, 15 Jan 2013

Also see the latest news report there:

François Hollande pledges to fight until Islamist rebels in Mali are wiped out

By Angelique Chrisafis in Paris and Afua Hirsch in Bamako, guardian.co.uk, Tuesday 15 January 2013

Air raids continue 'day and night' in battle with insurgents, but French president dismisses suggestion of colonialism

Decent "cheat sheet"

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:14:03 +0000

In reply to Sounds remarkably like

Decent "cheat sheet" explanation if you don't have time to read the above:

How the French got to airstrikes in Mali: A briefing from Bamako
Five key questions about how Islamic militants took over northern Mali -- and why the French are trying to stop them.
By Peter Tinti, Christian Science Monitor, Jan 15, 2013

Thanks for the input!

artappraiser — Wed, 16 Jan 2013 05:09:47 +0000

In reply to Chapter VII of the United

Thanks for the input!