France urging US help to move troops to Mali

[Dreamingwolf]

France urging US help to move troops to Mali < French news | Expatica France

This is a perfect example of why socialism is bad, france cant move its troops on its own. It acts like a 1st world power, but cause it is so obligated to give its funds to its people for nothing in return they arent able to field a servicable armed force. Sure they may have some trained troops and some planes, but when it comes to brass tacks they have to look arround for help.

Fortunately, for now, we have the ability to come and assist them, but if we keep on the path we are headed we like france wont have the ability to as a nation deliver our armed services.

 

[waltky]

Helping the French with intel and logistical support...

U.S. looks to support France's Mali offensive
January 14th, 2013 - The United States military could provide logistical and intelligence support in the French effort against Islamist rebels in Mali, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday.

The U.S. will "provide whatever assistance it can" as part of what Panetta said was the U.S. global efforts against al Qaeda. "We have a responsibility to go after Al Qaida wherever they are. And we've gone after them in the FATA. We're going after them in Yemen and Somalia. And we have a responsibility to make sure that Al Qaida does not establish a base for operations in North Africa and Mali," Panetta told reporters traveling with him to Europe. The State Department said Monday the U.S. is in consultation with the French now on a number of requests that they have made for support, reports CNN Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jill Dougherty. “We are reviewing the requests that they have made," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.

The U.S., she said, is “not in the position to support the Malian military directly until we have democratic processes restored by way of an election in Mali. We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored.” Panetta described the assistance as both logistical and intelligence. The U.S. has already started sharing intelligence from satellites and intercepted signals with the French, defense officials said Monday. In addition, the Pentagon is considering sending refueling tankers so that French jets can fly longer, more sustained combat mission, according to the officials. Drones "are under consideration," according to defense officials, though the military's stash of unmanned aerial vehicles are in heavy demand. "That's one of the things we're working through now, is how many and from where we'd be able to provide those assets," said one of the officials, noting that drones are being used in other conflict areas such as Afghanistan and Yemen.

Although both caveat that these would be surveillance drones and said there are no plans yet to deploy armed unmanned aerial vehicles. The officials also say another intelligence-gathering assets under consideration are piloted planes. "There's no real air defenses to speak of in Mali, outside of AQIM firing guns in the air. So anything we send does not have to be our most secretive, less detectable equipment," one of the officials aid. The US also considering giving "airlift capacity" to the effort, similar to what the British have provided in two cargo planes, according to the officials. This "would help the French with moving equipment, vehicles and people" to where they're needed in Mali, the officials said.

Panetta said al Qaeda's Mali affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is not an immediate threat to the U.S. homeland but does pose a risk if it gains a foothold. U.S. officials have said group was tied to the recent attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya. "While they might not have any immediate plans for attacks in the United States and in Europe, that ultimately that still remains their objective and it's for that reason that we have to take steps now to ensure that AQIM does not get that kind of traction," Panetta said, according to a transcript of Panetta's remarks to reporters.

Source

 

[francoHFW]

It's a diplomatic, not a military need. Vive la France! The "two great republics" should work more closely- we could've saved a few trillion in Iraq.

 

[waltky]

The French toughin' it out an' goin' alone...

Its allies reluctant, France goes it alone in Mali
Jan 16,`13: France's allies have offered vocal support for the country's military operation in Mali, but when it comes to sending troops or weapons, they are agreeing to the bare minimum: a transport plane here and there, a handful of support staff and a lot of promises to think about it.

This is not the kind of international backing that French President Francois Hollande had hoped for after deciding to deploy 2,500 troops to Mali. Even the former West African country's neighbors - who are supposed to take over the mission within days - have yet to send a single unit. And they have made nowhere near the commitment of France, which is expected within days to muster more than half the amount of soldiers it sent to Afghanistan at the height of the war there. Hollande was at pains to point out the support of the European Union and the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday, insisting "France will not be alone" as it fights militant Islamists that allies agree could threaten the West with terror attacks from the safe haven of Mali.

But if moral support has come easily, tangible signs that French soldiers will get backing as they moved north into Islamist territory were difficult to spot on Wednesday. It was hard to put a good face on Estonia's two or three officers, Denmark's 40 support staff for their transport aircraft, or the agreement of the United Arab Emirates to become involved "eventually." "You say `we'll give you nurses and you go get yourselves killed,'" Daniel Cohn-Bendit, French deputy to the European Parliament, said as he exhorted others in the EU to follow France's lead and take the risk of sending soldiers. "We will only be credible if French soldiers are not the only ones getting killed."

The European Union planned an emergency foreign ministers meeting on Thursday to discuss the issue again. France's allies in North Africa have been even less supportive. Algeria's position on an intervention in Mali softened only slightly after Hollande visited Algiers in December, and the country has limited its acquiescence to allowing French overflights and closing its long border with Mali. Tunisia's foreign affairs minister, Rafik Abdessalem, was blunt on Tuesday, saying he would "prefer that African problems be resolved in an African context." "We are in general against foreign interventions," he said, without mentioning France.

Images of French troops moving through the Malian landscape have been constant on French airwaves since the operation began. The memorial service for the helicopter pilot killed in its opening hours was televised live on multiple networks. So far, the intervention in Mali has broad popular support, but fears that France could not go it alone and win began bubbling up Wednesday, as military officials acknowledged that the Islamic rebels overrunning the wasp-shaped country's north were unexpectedly resilient in the face of five days of airstrikes.

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See also:

Mali: French troops begin land assault
Jan 16,`13 -- French soldiers pressed north in Mali territory occupied by radical Islamists on Wednesday, launching a land assault that was to put them in direct combat with al-Qaida-linked fighters "in one to 72 hours," military officials said.

Their presumed destination was the town of Diabaly, where fleeing residents said Islamist extremists had taken over their homes and were preventing other people from leaving. They said the militants were melting into the population and moving only in small groups on streets in the mud-walled neighborhoods to avoid being targeted by the French. "They have beards. And they wear boubous (a flowing robe). No one approaches them. Everyone is afraid," said Ibrahim Komnotogo, who was out of town when the militants seized Diabaly over the weekend but kept in contact by telephone with other residents.

In apparent retaliation for the French offensive, the same group controlling northern Mali occupied a natural gas complex in neighboring Algeria, taking dozens of people hostage, including Americans. Two foreigners were killed. French ground operations in Mali began overnight, France's military chief of staff, Adm. Edouard Guillaud, said on Europe 1 television Wednesday. He stressed that French infantry units "will be fighting directly in the coming hours." Armored vehicles loaded with French troops were seen heading toward Niono, a town 340 kilometers (210 miles) northeast of the capital, Bamako. Some 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Niono lies Diabaly, with a population of 35,000.

Over the weekend, dozens of rebel vehicles cut off the road to Diabaly, seizing the town and its strategic military camp. French warplanes have since carried out airstrikes on the camp. Oumar Ould Hamaha, whose fighters are believed to be among those who seized Diabaly, said that a convoy of armored French vehicles attempted to enter the town to take it back. He said the Islamists repelled the French after an intense and close combat. "I confirm that France came in by land, but they failed. ... There was a combat that was (extremely close). Between 200 and 500 meters away," Hamaha said. His version of events could not be verified.

Col. Thierry Burkhard, a spokesman for the French military in Paris, denied that French troops were in Diabaly or that they were 500 meters from rebel lines. "The French army did not deploy units in the region of Diabaly," Burkhard said. Troops were dozens of kilometers from Diabaly, he said, refusing to provide a location.

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[waltky]

Mali - the new Afghanistan...

Six reasons events in Mali matter
Thu January 17, 2013 - Mali's location and its wide areas beyond central control make it a magnet for militants; The greatest risk of the Mali campaign is that it will serve as a recruiting sergeant for jihadists; It has become a center for the conflict between tolerant and conservative Muslims; Mali is now a test bed for the effectiveness of international action against militant Islam

Within the past few days, French combat forces have deployed to the West African state of Mali to halt the advance of militant Islamist fighters toward the capital and to help the Malian army begin to reclaim towns previously occupied by the militants. After intense airstrikes against rebel strongholds, French ground forces are moving north to try to dislodge the fighters. Mali is one of the poorest countries in Africa, a vast and sparsely populated land that is largely desert. But events there are being watched with growing anxiety throughout West Africa, in European capitals and in Washington. Why?

1) Location, location, location

Mali is hardly a regional powerhouse and is "marginal" to the world economy. It does not sit on lakes of oil; it is landlocked and desperately poor. But it is very big -- nearly twice the size of France -- with seven neighbors whose long, poorly guarded borders provide militants with supply (and escape) routes. Many of these countries - from Algeria in the north to Ivory Coast in the south -- have themselves seen violence, extremism and instability and are ill-equipped to deal with the fallout from Mali imploding.

To the west, Mauritania has its own problems with Islamist militants associated with al Qaeda. Neighboring Niger to the east has, like Mali, seen frequent rebellions by ethnic Tuareg separatists. To the north, the Algerian government still has its own al Qaeda problems. In the 1990s an Islamist insurgency and its repression claimed at least 100,000 lives. Militant cells remain active in the eastern mountains and in the desert bordering Mali, where troop convoys have been ambushed on several occasions.

Despite lingering animosity toward France because of colonial rule, Algeria has taken the unprecedented step in the past few days of allowing French military overflights to monitor the extremists' movements. That's because, according to analysts, it sees a growing danger of militant groups coalescing. To try to prevent militants infiltrating, Algeria has closed its border with Mali and deployed some 30,000 troops to border regions. Mauritania has also tried to protect its border.

Mali also sits astride some of the most lucrative smuggling routes from Africa to Europe, routes that militants have turned into a cash machine. At one point, drug traffickers from South America were flying aging jets packed with cocaine into a remote desert airstrip in Mali, for shipment to Europe. So vast and inhospitable are the deserts of North Africa that groups with local knowledge (and a fleet of 4 x 4 vehicles) can make serious money from trafficking, whether in drugs, people or other contraband.

2) Ungoverned space

 

[waltky]

Mali refugee totals expected to rise...

UNHCR Predicts Another 700,000 Displaced in Mali
January 18, 2013 &#8212; The U.N. refugee agency says it expects another 700,000 people will be uprooted by the conflict in Mali in the coming months. The UNHCR says this number includes hundreds of thousands of people inside Mali who were forced out of their homes, and additional hundreds of thousands who fled the country and are now refugees.

The 700,000 uprooted Malians are in addition to nearly 375,000 people already displaced inside Mali and in neighboring countries. The U.N. refugee agency says refugee numbers have been rising steadily since the fighting began between French forces and Islamist militants in the central part of the country.

UNHCR spokeswoman Melissa Fleming says people are fleeing the fighting and the region occupied by the Islamists at a rate of about 3,000 a day. She says the refugees are giving horrific accounts of living under the rule of rebel Islamic fighters. &#8220;Many also fear the strict application of Sharia law. They report having witnessed executions, amputations and they say that also large amounts of money are being offered to civilians to fight against the Malian army and its supporters," she said. "Disturbingly also, we are hearing accounts that there are children among the rebel fighters. They are certainly not there willingly. Also, people are very distressed and saying that family members have just disappeared.&#8221;

Fleming says there are those who take advantage of desperate people in every situation of crisis. And, Mali is no exception. She says refugees are telling aid workers that people are offering transport out of the country at exorbitant fees and this is discouraging many more people from leaving. &#8220;They say that they have to pay the equivalent of $50.00 to get out. For many, that is equivalent to more than a month&#8217;s earnings," Fleming noted. "Most are women and children and others, they say are on their way by foot, using donkeys, local transportation&#8230; All of them say that they hope that this military intervention will be successful, short-lived and some people for that reason are waiting before they make the decision to flee across borders.&#8221;

France launched its military operation in northern Mali a week ago after a rapid advance by Islamist rebels. French authorities say they also want to stop their former colony from becoming a terrorist state. Meanwhile, the French defense minister says his country has increased the number of troops in Mali from 800 to 1,400. Troops from other West African nations have begun arriving in Mali to bolster the French offensive. The UNHCR says it is urgently reinforcing its staff and resources for Mali to assist the growing numbers of internally displaced and refugees.

Source

See also:

France and Mali: An 'ironic' relationship
19 January 2013 - The French President Francois Hollande has this week sent more soldiers into Mali, despite his previous promise to downsize their military presence there. The situation reflects France's complex with the West African country.

For as long as I have been covering French news, which is more than 20 years now, there has been a constant refrain that it is time to move away from the old idea of what they call here La Francafrique. La Francafrique was the network of interests that France left behind in Africa when it pulled out as a colonial power. At its best, it was a benign attempt to extend the benefits of trade and development, and keep French-speaking Africa part of France's cultural sphere. At its worst, it was a rotten system that served established interests - in France as well as in African states - with, at its heart, a devil's bargain: you stay tame and send us your minerals, and when we need it, under-the-counter cash. In return, from time-to-time, we will send in French troops to save your presidential mightiness from the mob.

As I said, for the last 20 years it has been the cry of every government that this system was immoral and outdated and had to come to an end. Jacques Chirac was a dyed-in-the-wool Gaullist, and La Francafrique was in its essence a Gaullist enterprise, but even Chirac paid lip-service to the notion that times had changed. President Nicolas Sarkozy, a would-be iconoclast, went further and explicitly set out to rewrite the contract. He started scaling back French troop contingents in Africa, and in a famous speech gave deep offence on the continent, when he basically said it was time Africans started doing things for themselves. Sarkozy being Sarkozy, the message came out all wrong and tactless - but the direction of his thought was sound: that the old cosy contacts with France were holding Africa back.

And now we have Francois Hollande, who as a good socialist has drunk deeply of the anti-colonialist potion and genuinely feels embarrassed about much of France's past involvement on the continent. Only a couple of weeks ago he was in Algeria and actually got applauded by the Algerian parliament for coming as close as any French leader ever has to saying sorry for taking the place over in 1830. So yes, now we have a socialist leader, a man who has promised to keep downsizing the military commitment in Africa. A man who has made it a point of honour that France will not any more be regarded as the gendarme of Africa, as it was for so many years. And what is he doing, this harbinger of change, this paragon of post-colonial international egalite? What he has been doing this week is sending soldiers back in to Africa. To do what? To help a not-especially-democratic regime in Mali.

Single-handedly (because yes, allies from West Africa are going to help, but let us be honest, they are not there yet and even when they are, who knows if they will be any good?) taking on an Islamist rebel army in territories once occupied by romantic white-kepied officers from the Foreign Legion operating out of Beau Geste mud-brick fortresses. I am afraid, though he will hate to admit it, very much being once again the policeman (or - why not? - the gendarme) of this benighted, impoverished corner of the world. And the kicker of the tale is that throughout the momentous events of the last few days with France in effect walking back into its former backyard - the one it gave back to its rightful owners 50 years ago - no-one has said: "This is neo-colonialism in the garb of the politically-acceptable." No-one has said: "You French, any excuse and you are back in your old haunts, protecting your special friends." As far as I can see, just about everyone is behind the French on this one: the Americans, the Europeans, the Africans, even the Algerians.

Of course, none of them is actually doing very much - with the honourable exception of the UK and its C17 transport plane that broke down on day one. But they are all cheering France on from the sidelines, and broadly saying: "Thank goodness one of us still has forces pre-positioned in Africa and a good knowledge of the terrain... and the experience and the backbone to put one in the eye for Aqmi, Mujao, Ansar Dine and the rest of the Sahel's Islamo-narco-terrorists." All of which simply goes to show that history is full of ironies. Where a few years ago the notion of France sending in troops to fight a war in a former colony would have provoked howls of contempt - not least from the French Left - today with the rise of Islamism and the threat we all face, the rules have been re-written. For honourable reasons, modern France wants to get away from La Francafrique. For honourable reasons, modern France finds itself going back in. The world has changed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21065970

 

[waltky]

Granny says, "Dat's right - the French always callin' on us when dey get dey's butt inna sling...

France says cooperation on Mali crucial
January 18th, 2013 - In order for its offensive against Islamists in Mali to succeed, France needs the assistance of the United States and other countries, a French official told CNN.

"We really need the help of everybody and when countries such as Morocco and Algeria are opening their skies to our planes," the official said. "That's crucial because that's a mark of full solidarity for our mission - which is needed, it's really needed." Mali was one of the most successful democracies in Africa until last year, when a coup toppled the president and Islamists capitalized on the chaos by establishing themselves in the north. There, they imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law by banning music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television. They also damaged Timbuktu's historic tombs and shrines.

The International Criminal Court has launched a war crimes investigation amid reports that residents have been mutilated and killed for disobeying the Islamists. The United Nations has noted accounts of amputations, floggings and public executions such as the July stoning of a couple who had reportedly had an affair. France unleashed a military offensive against the militants last week, a mission that President Francois Hollande says is designed to "destroy" the terrorist groups that have taken root in the northern part of the huge African nation. The operation could last weeks or much longer, the French official said. Much will depend on the involvement of the international community.

The United States is navigating one tricky quandary: How does it help in the battle against the militants without violating its own policy? U.S. policy prohibits direct military aid to Mali because the fledgling government is a result of a coup. No support can go to the Malian military directly until leaders are chosen through an election, said Victoria Nuland, a State Department spokeswoman. "We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored," she said this week. "But we're not precluded from assisting allies and partners in trying to restore security to that country."

So far, the United States has only shared intelligence from satellites and intercepted signals with the French, defense officials said. The Pentagon is also considering sending refueling tankers so that French jets can fly longer, more sustained combat missions, according to the officials. "We've had a number of requests for support from the French in support of their operation," Nuland said in a State Department briefing Tuesday. "They've asked for information sharing, they've asked for support with airlift, they've asked for support with aerial refueling. We are already providing information and we are looking hard today at the airlift question, helping them transport forces from France and from the area into the theater." The United States is training African forces being deployed. By this weekend, trainers will be on the ground in African nations that are contributing forces, the State Department said.

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[TruthSeeker56]

France urging US help to move troops to Mali < French news | Expatica France

This is a perfect example of why socialism is bad, france cant move its troops on its own. It acts like a 1st world power, but cause it is so obligated to give its funds to its people for nothing in return they arent able to field a servicable armed force. Sure they may have some trained troops and some planes, but when it comes to brass tacks they have to look arround for help.

Fortunately, for now, we have the ability to come and assist them, but if we keep on the path we are headed we like france wont have the ability to as a nation deliver our armed services.

Is this supposed to be some sort of "breaking news" about France?

Hell, the French haven't been able to take care of themselves since Napoleon was in charge.

 

[Mad Scientist]

Oh Wow! Vietnam II! This is so cool! I missed it the first time!

Gimme an "F"! Gimme a "U"!...

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3W7-ngmO_p8]Country Joe McDonald - I-Feel-Like-I'm-Fixin'-To-Die Rag - YouTube[/ame]

 

[Samson]

France urging US help to move troops to Mali < French news | Expatica France

This is a perfect example of why socialism is bad, france cant move its troops on its own. It acts like a 1st world power, but cause it is so obligated to give its funds to its people for nothing in return they arent able to field a servicable armed force. Sure they may have some trained troops and some planes, but when it comes to brass tacks they have to look arround for help.

Fortunately, for now, we have the ability to come and assist them, but if we keep on the path we are headed we like france wont have the ability to as a nation deliver our armed services.

Is this supposed to be some sort of "breaking news" about France?

Hell, the French haven't been able to take care of themselves since Napoleon was in charge.

Napoleon was decended from Italian Nobility.

So, strictly speaking, the French really were not taking care of themselves with Napoloeon in charge.

 

[Samson]

It's a diplomatic, not a military need. Vive la France! The "two great republics" should work more closely- we could've saved a few trillion in Iraq.

How, exactly, would the US and France have "worked more closely," so that "we could have saved a few trillion in Iraq?"

Regarding Iraq' continued defiance of multiple U.N. resolutions, The French stated, "we believe that military intervention would be the worst solution."

I suppose a better (cheaper) solution would have been more U.N. resolutions.

So why are French troops now in Mali? Clearly military intervention is not the worst solution there.

 

[GoneBezerk]

France has spent so much money on their welfare state that they can't mobilize their military for 1 country in Africa which is a few hours via airlift from France.

This is what obamination wants for the US military, cut off our balls so that we can't go kill his muslim cousins when they start overtaking capitals, oil rigs, etc and killing foreigners.....