Morning Brief: France launches strikes in north Mali to halt Islamists' advance

From Foreign Policy Mon Jan 14 2013, 14:14:48

France launches strikes in north Mali to halt Islamists' advance

Top news: French fighter jets struck targets in the north of Mali on Sunday as France launched a military intervention to halt the advance of Islamist rebels. France has deployed 400 troops to the country, and seven other countries have vowed to aid the effort aimed at combating a well-armed that rebel movement that amid political turmoil has consolidated control of a swath of territory larger than Afghanistan.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said that the strikes had succeeded in stemming the rebels' advance and promised that France would not get dragged into prolonged military interventions in its former colony.

The rebel movement in Mali's north, which defense officials have said has ties to al-Qaeda, has emerged as a serious challenge to the Malian government, arming itself with weapons from Libya following the fall of Muammar al-Qaddafi. French defense officials said over the weekend that the rebels were better armed than expected and that a French helicopter pilot had been killed in the fighting. In a statement, the French defense ministry said that its fighter planes had destroyed "numerous targets in northern Mali near Gao, in particular training camps, infrastructure and logistical depots which served as bases for terrorist groups." U.S. officials said that they are likely to support the French mission by providing surveillance drones and other limited assistance.

[view whole blog post ]
 See More    |     Report Abuse

People and Organizations:


You might also be interested in the following news stories:

Nigeria:  Club World Cup - Garcia Leads Top Scorers Chart Ahead of Semi-Finals [full List] (news)
Vanguard
6 July 2025

Real Madrid forward Gonzalo Garcia has climbed to the top of the Club World Cup scorers chart at the ongoing FIFA Club World Cup in the United States. The 21-year-old netted his fourth goal of the ... [read more]

Nigeria:  Club World Cup 2025 - Semi-Final Fixtures Confirmed - Date, Time (news)
Vanguard
6 July 2025

The stage is set for the semi-finals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following the conclusion of Saturday's dramatic quarter-final clashes. Real Madrid became the final team to book a spot in the last ... [read more]

Tunisie:  Volley - Mondial U19 - Le pays s'incline face à la Belgique (news)
La Presse
6 July 2025

La sélection tunisienne féminine de volley-ball des moins (U19) s'est inclinée devant son homologue belge 0-3 (20-5, 22-25, 20-25), dimanche, en match comptant pour la 4e ... [read more]



blogAfrica is allAfrica.com's platform to help you keep an ear on the African blogosphere. We draw diverse voices from around the world who post regularly and insightfully about African issues. Bloggers, submit your blog's rss-feed!