France Confirms Troops On Ground in Northern Mali

[Halfcrazedhoser]

I'm a little surprised at the extent of support for this ... The Guardian website poll shows 79% in favour of this action in which the UK is assisting

Not that surprising, the average person doesn't care about Mali. Most would likely have some trouble finding it on a map. Wave "terrorists" in front of them, and they eat it up. Sadly.

[Ry]

French warplanes attacked the disputed town of Konna in the nation of Mali today, sparking fighting that left well over 100 people dead, including dozens of government soldiers and Islamist rebels.

The French invasion began yesterday after the Islamist forces seized Konna from the southern Malian junta, leaving the junta with no obvious route to attack the north and leaving several key cities exposed to rebel attacks.

The French government has been vague on the number of troops it has sent and intends to send to Mali, but at least one soldier was confirmed killed today in the attack on Konna, a helicopter pilot.

In addition to France, other EU nations have contributed air support for the war, and both Niger and Senegal have each announced 500 ground troops each for the war, which aims at occupying the northern two-thirds of the country and placing them under junta rule.

The bulk of the war effort appears to be France’s however, since the Islamists have shown themselves to be more than a match for the southern Malian military, which lost the north in a series of battles over last spring.

This leaves concerns in France that they are setting themselves up for blowback from this was at home, with a significant Malian minority living in France. The French government has stepped up security around its buildings and public transportation in anticipation of retaliatory strikes

[Ry]

French raid in Somalia leaves 19 dead http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/wo ... 6552661948" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Tim]

This has disaster written all over it. Letting the French lead the way was the first mistake. The second one was bombing another African country with Muslims in it.

[JayJ]

I await the "official" line that we're going there to spread freedom and democracy.

[Tim]

I await the "official" line that we're going there to spread freedom and democracy.

Freedumb and doomocracy.

[Ry]

Thomas Mountain predicted this whole thing.

[Tim]

After Libya, it was Mali. Then it will be Niger, Somalia (again), maybe the Congo if their "rebels" start acting up again. Pretty soon, the west will be fighting every single country in Africa claiming they're fighting "Al Qaeda" or the Lord's Resistance Army.

[Tim]

Mali Islamists counter attack, promise France long war

(Reuters) - Al Qaeda-linked Islamist rebels launched a counteroffensive in Mali on Monday after four days of French air strikes on their northern strongholds, seizing the central town of Diabaly and promising to drag France into a brutal Afghanistan-style war.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/ ... FX20130114" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[JayJ]

Good old Western intervention.