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Subscribe to RSSAfter launching airstrikes and a final strike, the French military have recaptured the key town of Diabaly from Islamist rebels. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
DIABALY, Mali — French and Malian armored columns rolled into the towns of Diabaly and Douentza in central Mali on Monday after the al Qaida-linked rebels who had seized them fled into the bush to avoid air strikes.
France said the advance was a significant step in its campaign to break Islamist fighters' grip over Mali's vast desert north, a presence raising fears of the region becoming a an African launchpad for international militant attacks.
The stakes in Mali rose dramatically last week when Islamist gunmen cited France's intervention as the reason for attacking a gas plant in neighboring Algeria, seizing hundreds of hostages and sowing fears the conflict would spill across borders.
"This advance by Mali's army into towns held by their enemies is a clear military success for the government in Bamako and for French forces supporting the operation," French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
France, which has made 140 bombing sorties since January 11, plans eventually to hand over the military operation to a U.N.-sanctioned African mission — although that deployment has been hampered by a lack of supplies, funds and training.
Diabaly, 220 miles north of Mali's dusty riverside capital Bamako, had harbored the main cluster of insurgents south of the frontline towns of Mopti and Sevare.
Douentza, some 480 miles from Bamako along the eastern road to the rebel stronghold of Gao, was a staging post in the rebels' southward advance two weeks ago that prompted France to intervene for fear they would capture the Malian capital.
In Diabaly, the dusty streets were now littered with the charred wreckage of eight rebel pick-up trucks. Residents said 200 Islamist fighters had held them captive for three days as human shields against French air strikes.
"There were 12 of us in the house, with no food or water," said 18-year-old Seydou Diarra. "They stopped us from leaving the village. They told us we'll die together and those who insisted on leaving were unbelievers."
Malian soldiers proudly displayed some 80 boxes of machine gun ammunition left behind by the fleeing rebels. Life gradually returned to the town's main street as shops reopened and children played on the parade ground where French and Malian troops parked their armored personnel carriers.
African boots on the ground
France has sent 2,150 ground troops to Mali and deployed jet fighters and attack helicopters that hammered rebel bases for an 11th day on Monday, as it awaited troops from nearby African nations, pouring into Bamako, to deploy to the front line.
Some 1,000 African troops from the West African regional bloc ECOWAS and the central African nation of Chad have arrived, and that number is expected to top 5,000 in the coming weeks.
Joe Penney / Reuters
A Malian soldier searching through debris at a military camp in the town of Diabaly on Monday. French airstrikes hit the camp a week ago after it was taken over by al Qaida-linked rebels.
Military experts say the swift and effective deployment of African forces is crucial to sustain the momentum of France's air campaign and prevent Islamists from melting away into the empty desert or the rugged mountains near the Algerian border.
The Islamist alliance in Mali groups al Qaida's North African wing AQIM and the Malian militant groups Ansar Dine and MUJWA. It has imposed harsh sharia, meting out amputations and destroying ancient shrines sacred to moderate Sufi Muslims.
France aims to sweep the Islamists from northern Mali, an area the size of Texas, to prevent them using it as a base to mount attacks on the West or coordinate with other Islamist militants such as Nigeria's Boko Haram and Somalia's al Shabaab.
Paris aims to hand over the military operation to the U.N.-mandated African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) "as quickly as possible. Until that happens, we shall do our duty," President Francois Hollande said on Monday.
"We know that's going to take time."
The Algerian hostage-taking, claimed by veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar in the name of al Qaida, has placed Mali conflict firmly on the agenda of Western capitals.
Belmokhtar's Mulathameen Brigade warned of further attacks on foreign interests unless France halted its intervention.
Algeria said 37 foreigners were killed during the hostage taking, which ended with an assault by its security forces.
Britain, whose nationals were among those caught up in the hostage crisis, said on Monday it would increase counter-terrorism and intelligence aid to Algeria and consider giving more help to France to fight the Mali rebels. But it ruled out any direct British military intervention in Africa.
Addressing parliament, British Prime Minister David Cameron said a "patient, intelligent, but tough" approach was the best way to defeat terrorism. He stressed the "long-standing and deep" root causes of terrorism and pledged to help foster democracy and the rule of law in places at risk of Islamist militancy.
Egypt warns over intervention
Egypt, however, warned that military intervention in Mali would aggravate strife in Africa and risk alienating the rest of the continent from its Arab north.
"The intervention must be peaceful and developmental and funds must be spent on development," Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, a freely elected Islamist, told an Arab development conference in Saudi Arabia.
The United States sent its first flight bringing logistical support on Sunday but has no plans to send combat troops.
France has appealed for international donors to help fund the African mission at a conference on January 29. The European Union also said it would host a meeting on Mali on February 5, with the support of the United Nations and the African Union.
In recent days, Islamists have melted into the scrubland of central Mali, preferring not to engage directly with Malian and French troops. Residents of Diabaly said some rebels had doffed their flowing robes to blend in with the population, raising fears of ambushes and booby traps left behind in captured towns.
A resident of Timbuktu told Reuters by satellite telephone on Monday that scores of pick-up trucks carrying Islamist fighters had arrived there since Saturday, as the rebels apparently pulled their forces back to their desert strongholds.
The push northward by the Malian army has raised the specter of ethnic reprisals by security forces and militia groups. Human Rights Watch said it had received reports of serious abuses being committed by the Malian army against civilians in Niono.
There have also been reports of killings by Malian soldiers of lighter-skinned Arabs and Tuaregs, who are widely blamed for the rebellion that swept northern Mali.
In Diabaly, angry residents said the rebels had been led there by former army soldiers led by a local Tuareg captain who had deserted to join the Islamists.
"Only a person who knows Diabaly very well would have been able to bring them here," said Diabaly Mayor Oumar Diakite.
Related:
France, Mali set aside colonial past to fight new common foe
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'The commanders of French and Malian forces, who set up their operations centre in the nearby town of Niono, said their forces were moving slowly toward Diabaly after reports that Islamist fighters had abandoned their turbans and flowing robes to blend in with local residents.'
Anything new?
We saw them during Iraqi wars.
Islamists melt away only to regroup and start guerrilla warfare.
Then another bunch of French/British/US and others regular soap operas start.
At least, let us have a different battle in Mali: bomb to the ground whole Islamic militant areas while Islamists melt away.
As long as they take out the bulk of their heavy weaponry and fighters, the Mali army with the support of African Union troops and maybe some NATO support (and maybe a few million in military aid), will be able to keep the Islamic fighters at bay and out of the population centers.
So what if they control some little village in the middle of the Sahara? And you can be sure that the French air force and US drones will be keeping an eye on them.
Well said!
Now for a few years of death, rape and banditry with just a touch of guerrilla warfare to make everyone feel honest.
WAY TO GO FRANCE!!! ☺
Many people here in the U.S. think that Mali is just some backwater African country, but back in the 1300s the Mali Empire was one of the most expansive empires in the entire world. - RC
Rick -
Mali is a backwater African country - and just like the rest of the mussi countries they were at one point a forward and great country, but then the rest of the world grew past the stone age and they are still in it holding on to their peckers.
US should have send some drones to force some armed terrorists running for their live in the desert. If the drones can disable their vehicles with machine guns, most of them will die of thirst and starvation in the Sahara.
If you ignore the fact that many of Islamic extremists came from the Sahara (Algeria, Libya etc) and are therefore pretty much at home in the desert (unlike the Western troops).
What the French do and how far they decide to pursue their goals in Mali will be up to them, overall though it looks like they have learned the lessons of Afghanistan and Iraq pretty well, as they are already moving to fight an urban counter-insurgency and their main “war” isn’t even over yet. I do have to wonder if the French President isn’t just using this as an excuse to detract attention from the anti-gay marriage protests he had recently.
Look at the other side of the coin !!!!
If that little war becomes a long and protracted one, like ours have. Then France is in big trouble . The country will go broke paying for it ( just like ours is ). That will most centennially bring down the EU. There is a lot more here than meets the eye.
bob1/28
perhaps but I don’t think the French are going to allow themselves to be drawn in on a large scale like the US did, after all they only have 2000 ground troops in country and their air force. Plus since their plan is not to establish a whole new government but to support an existing one, how long they stay there will be up to the Mali government to decide by how efficiently it uses the respite from these militants that France buys it.
If France went to war each time there were large demonstrations, it'd be in a constant state of war.
Yes, the anti-gay marriage demonstrations were noticeable (a bit North of 500.000 ppl), but
a- The majority in France supports the law
b- Much larger demonstrations take place every few yrs, esp when it's about school reform: then both the left or the right easily gather 1 million demonstrators in Paris alone. It just isn't covered by the US media bc few readers care about the specifics of how the gov funds private schools in France or plans to reform the 3rd year of College. Gay marriage is just more trendy.
c- The Mali intervention is a serious drawback (esp financially) for a newly elected gov whose entire platform focuses on domestic issues
The legion is even less kissy huggy than the US marines,I guess the turban guys are not as willing to go for the virgins as they are cracked up to be....
"Virgins" is a mistranslation.
It should be'vegans'!!! ;)
actually it is a mistranslation of the quran. It is you get "72 year old virgins" as a martyr, not 72 virgins. Minor point.
@Losmuertos.....the French President did not support the anti-gay protests. France had the anti-gay protests because the French President voiced support for the homosexual agenda.....and the populace said, "No." But, that is an aside from the main issue. If I were the terrorists, I would do exactly what they are doing. They can't win, in a soldier vs. soldier fight. BOB1 and others are right, in their thinking.....the terrorists either want to win quickly, or force a long, protracted war.....in which France and all others will just quit. I don't like that kind of fighting......but, for the terrorists, it is the smartest. Now, what France (and others who join it) will be, I don't know. Killing all civilians will not work. Perhaps, because of the moderate bent of the Mali's, they will give the terrorists up. That is a hoped for. Perhaps try to infiltrate the terrorist organization, and/or find out where their training areas/supply areas are. Use the drones, that is for sure. But, wait for a gathering of terrorists, where saturation bombing can be accomplished, and kill hundreds/thousands of the terrorists at one time. (But, I am sure that the terrorists are smart enough to realize that that would be a possible plan, and do everything to avoid it.) I give credit to the French for entering the fray......and give them my hopes and prayers for their success.
Hikeinmts
I did not mean the French president was involved in protests about Gay marriage, I mean he was facing protests and launching a short, sharp war would be a good way to deflect attention from that. Sorry for any mix up. As for events in Mali I understand that the militants would love to drag France into a protracted counter-insurgency campaign like America is involved in. only problem is the French are not as invested (morally speaking) to Mali as America is to Afghanistan (in other words France is not in Mali for revenge) and so have less pressure to stay in country. In all how long they are there will be up to Mali and its neighbours in how efficiently they can take advantage of the support given to them by France
"weapons pillaged from the armories of toppled Libyan ruler Moammar Gadhafi in 2011".
Good one!
Pillaging is normally done by the victors of war. So we freed Libya from Gadaf and as a thank you they give terrorists weapons so they can plan further attacks on us?
Am I getting this right?
We ought to stop helping ingrates.
Save, Mali has been around for thoousands of years. It was a colonial part of France, as was Algeria. The French definitely have a dog in this fight, much like the Algerians and African Union do. Mali is a very progressive country with a, for Africa, liberal government.
One thing people forget is that a lot of the country is Sahara Desert with the rest sub-Sahara. The Tuaregs have traditionally been desert dwellers, following their whims as when to leave an oasis and move to another. And a lot of their territory has been in Mali, Libya, Algeria and southern Egypt. They want their rights and the terrorists are very willing to help them out.
The Malian troops are well trained, as are the French. Trained troops from the African Union aren't that many, nor as trained as people think. In addition, supplies and arms just aren't what they should be for the AU. It will be a somewhat protracted war, but in the end, Malian, French and African Union troops will drive the insurgents eiher out of the country into Somalia or some other country. But the terrorists will continue to do their thing.
Save, you are partly getting this right: an unknown # of armed mercenaries left Libya to join the ranks of AQMI (Al Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb).
That's been a recurring theme for most of the dictatorial regimes in that region: when the dictator falls, the Islamic extremists surface. Even if they constitute a minority of the population, their less than peaceful intents are a major problem.
Examples: Egypt, Iraq, Tunisia (and the civil war in Algeria which killed 200.000).
stop letting muslims into this country, stay out of their countries
and kick out those inventing problems.
The 8.000.000 Muslims in the US have *nothing* to do with it.
And blaming 1.6 billion ppl for the actions of a few would be like blaming all Christians for the terrorist activities of Timothy McVeigh
Many Muslim countries thrive on tourism (the Maldives, Malaysia, Indonesia etc), are very safe and most welcoming to foreigners and expats.
Isn't is always what happens when they are threatened? The terrorists 'fade away' into the population and disappear. Of course, Islam requires the locals to house and feed them and give them clothes so they don't stand out. If it was Southern Baptists being threatened, the terrorists would also be facing aggression from the locals, because you simply cannot take away their beer and pulled pork sandwiches! Hell no! Muslims have been taught from birth to act like sheep and cower in the face of attack, until they learn they can kill everyone because Muhammad said so -- not because the Koran says so.
The French can take back northern Mali: the problem will be keeping it pacified. A couple of years ago I was up in the area where Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso meet. It's not sand dunes. Rocky, some treed areas...plenty of hiding places. Plus, large groups of Tuaregs and others move freely between the three countries, none of which have the resources to monitor such movements. Radicals can travel freely within these groups. Even if Mali manages to reconstitute its armed forces, they won't cross the border into Niger or Burkina Faso.
The situation only reflects what's happening in other parts of Africa. The Nigerians can't even clean out the radicals in the northern part of their own country.
At least the Nigerians can 419 scam the insurgents out of their money.
But, but... Obama says islam is peaceful?? So islam can't be bad, right??
Telling is one thing, doing is another thing.
Islam is special!
The followers of Islamic cult now and then resort to "love" and "peace" to fool/get a reprieve only to tear anything they touch to pieces.
At least in Pakistan, a pure Islamic nation, it should be peaceful. Instead, Pakistan is on the verge of bloody sectarian and tribal civil wars!
There are a billion plus Muslims. How of them a terrorists? A few thousands maybe?
Even if you count the Taliban, many of whom are being paid to fight, or do it for tribal or personal reasons, you'll maybe get a 100 000. Out of a billion.
Most of those are in lawless regions - Somalia, Sudan, the border area between Afghanistan & Pakistan. It's that lawlessness that creates extremism, religion is just a convenient way to control those people.
Liberal_Libertarian: So out of so many Muslims, there are only few trouble spots.
That means most of the Muslims should not have any problems in leaving non-Muslim nations and moving to their prosperous Muslim nations, especially ME.
You see: many Sunni ruled ME nations are very rich and very good.
Obama said it, W said it and all the others too.
Not going to engage in a debate about the Koran, but most Muslims on earth have the same aspirations as you do: a good job, a healthy and happy family life etc
Most victims of Islamic terrorism are Muslims (and they understandably have a strong opinion about it).
Cowards.
Run Run because we are coming for you all and we will not stop until you have paid for your crimes.
I wait in my comfortable living room watching my big screen tv with my 9mm handgun, and my rifle closeby... won't you stop by and take an eternal nap?
Douglas Dunn, are you ignorant or were you just born stupid.
Sit there with your fear and watch Fox News. And while you try to get your pistol into shooting position, the home invader will blow your ass away, laughing.
GTF off this thread.
Interesting Mali-related item from today's Post-Courier (Papua New Guinea) that no U.S. media seem to have picked up on. Reads like an excerpt from a spy novel.
Sekan brothers known for drugs, arms trade: Interpo
By TODAGIA KELOLA
THE two Saken brothers, Vu Anh Quan and Charles Henry who are connected with the suspicious plane are known for their involvement in drugs and arms trade, according to Interpol and transnational crime officials in the Pacific.
The two brothers are naturalized citizens of Vanuatu but are of Vietnamese origin.
According to PNG police, they became aware of the Saken brothers’ activities both in Vanuatu and throughout the world through Interpol and other law enforcement agencies, particularly Transnational Crime setup in the Pacific, of their involvement in drugs and arms trade, especially where there are rebellions and insurgency activities.
In their assessment of the incident, the aircraft landing in PNG has triggered off many outstanding allegations against the two Saken brothers and the current Vanuatu Minister for Foreign Affairs Albert Calot who is engrossed in an ongoing political power struggle in Vanuatu.
Police in their brief said: “The fact that the two Saken brothers were uplifted from Mali is very suspicious as this country is currently going through an open conflict and rebellion.
“What is more interesting is a large Boeing 737 aircraft is ideal for carrying firearms or other illicit contrabands.
“It is alleged that Mr Quan has travelled extensively into many hostile and trouble hotspots in the world and thus has been implicated in illegal gun running and drug trafficking activities in the recent past, especially in the Golden triangle area in South East Asia and in Central and South America. Thus it is obvious Africa is now his main focus.
“What is more suspicious is that they did stop over at the tax haven country of Maldives for re-fuelling purpose as indicated by the pilot.
“However, it is highly probable that any illegal proceeds may have been banked on this island to avoid being detected once they entered PNG, or to stopover in Singapore or Australia.
“It is no wonder they had to fly eleven hours direct into Port Moresby.”
Alan Dean Foster, exactly what does your post have to do with this particular article? That's right, absolutely nothing.
If you can't stick to what is being written about, GTF out.
@Alan: that's quite interesting. So what were they doing in Mali, and who picked them up why?
Heck, if I could jet around Vanuatu or PNG I'd focus more on scuba diving and less on Jihad and shady trades.
Any interesting story on Mokhtar Belmokhtar? What does he smuggle apart from cigarettes?
I also wonder to what extent all these Globe-trotters are involved with the major "too big to fail" banks.
I *really* can't stomach the shortsightedness of letting HSBC get off with a slap on the wrist.
The French did this all by themselves without any help or interference from the U.N. or U.S. forces?
Good for the French.
Actually they do get support by the US - mostly intelligence gathered by spy satellites (and maybe drones) and some logistics - transporting troops & supplies to neighboring countries, stuff like that.
Mali requested a military intervention at the UN. The resolution was adopted unanimously, incl by the non-permanent members of the security council (which currently includes India and Pakistan ie 2 countries who usually can't agree on much)
The French military intervention was a bit unexpected by the general public, but mostly well received.
They did request int'l support and got logistic and intelligence support from several EU countries. West African troops (approx 5000) are expected to join the 2500 French troops on the ground.
The US provided intelligence, but there was significant tensions between the French and the US bc the US wanted to bill the French a few million dollars for refueling, transport etc
Of course, the situation might change since Al-Qaeda killed the 40 or so hostages in Algeria incl 3 Americans, and a significant # of non-westerners (Japanese, Malays, Filipinos) to retaliate against the French and against Algeria (who allowed the use of its air space).
That's how these scum of the earth types work. They hide like little pants wetting cowards when real men and women come out to challenge them.
I hope these French troops hunt them down in the bush like wild boar....pathetic filthy pigs that they are.
...and I hope we help. These people have to be hunted to extinction....you cannot reason with terrorists. They are like poachers....they should be hunted, killed, and left for the beasts of the forests to consume.
France, no prisoners...kill them all!
Must not have been very "militant", if the French scared them away.
Explain that to the families of the 40 or so hostages they killed last week, incl 3 Americans ...
Or to the 200.000 they slaughtered in Algeria (incl quite a few nuns whose throat they slit) during the civil war.
Or to the Malians who recently had their arms or legs cut off.
They must have ran out of woman and children to hide behind.
Quite often France sends Le Legion Etrangere in first.Better known in English as the French Foreign Legion and they are some very tough customers in a battle.
Once again, organized religion tortures, amputates, and beheads the innocent, and then they look up into Heaven and praise God. If only the so called organized, religious people of this planet knew the forces they were dealing with. They think they are facing benevolence and paradise in the life to come. If only they could come to their senses and admit how wrong they are. Their reward will be eternal punishment in Hell!
Once again, the silence of American Muslims is deafening!
The best thing that could happen to Eng/America's war on terror is the Malis of the world continuing. Once the Western Democracies of the world finally get on the same page, the extremism that dominates the Muslim culture can be dealt with as the plague that it is. Go France!
I agree Relly. The French can be very liberal people but only to a point. When you draw a line in the sand you've gone too far and they are a force to be reckoned with. And the Nigerians. Have you seen some of these big boys? I'm former Army Strike Force Infantry and I would like them on my side. A lot.
Dunn why are you still typing. I doubt you ever served, cept some chips and sodas while sitting on your sofa holding your D!@& and watching your big screen.
The majority of the comments here reflect a growing inability in forums such as this to focus on the topic and acknowledge the nature and significance of this conflict. This story is not about what France did or didn’t do in WWII and Vietnam, etc. It is about the advances being made by pure evil, ruthless, uncouth, islamic mass murderers always ready to blend in with the populations they torture and terrorise, should they suddenly face a real military.
But their atrocities are simply those same actions glorified in the koran. The muslim extremists of today are but tomorrow’s moderates as an even more murderous creed will evolve. What’s to stop it? Already islamist Egyptian President Mursi decrees that “intervention must be peaceful and developmental and funds must be spent on development”. Yeah, and we know who’s funds he’s talking about and they’re not going to spring forth from a ramshackle country like Egypt with a jihadist government. And as desperate as so many foreign workers are even they will eventually balk at jobs that risk imminent torture and murder.
It all still comes down to finding a way for the well-intentioned West to finally man up. That means genuinely disengaging and making the muslim regimes more accountable for islam’s Frankenstein offspring. The hard-earned tax dollars from Western citizens should not keep being shovelled into the bottomless pit of backward muslims’ endless brainless violence and dysfunctional societies. But stopping it would take real leaders and a far more aware and determined Western populace. In the meantime let us put our support behind the valiant efforts of the French and their allied forces. (Lower case spellings of muslim, islamic, etc. are intentional)
Wow.. Timbuktu actually exists. I always though it was like
Kokomo, Shangri la, Bali Hai or Margarita Ville. So now, I
will think twice when someone says; I think he's gone to Timbuktu.
Thank you France.
Anyone posting here that the French can't fight have never been in a fire fight nor served side by side. They will and have kicked butt.