Apparently France has decided that some bad guys in Mali needed to be taken out. There is also at least one French "security official" being held hostage there.
QuoteWith Islamist militants controlling more than half of the northwest African nation of Mali and threatening the rest of government-held territory, France launched airstrikes in a dramatic escalation of the conflict that some observers have called the next Afghanistan. French commandoes also reportedly attacked an Islamist base in Somalia to try to rescue a French hostage.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2013/01/11/french-military-arrives-to-help-mali-government-as-radical-islamists-advance/
Over at Brant's place he put up an article on Mali as the next candidate
for getting a major case of destruction brought there by the Good Guys.
I guess the French just have to be different again and go there first.
France is getting active. They launched an unsuccessful hostage rescue in Somalia, too.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/12/world/africa/somalia-helicopter-raid/index.html?hpt=hp_t1
Good for them. They've got some pretty slick hardware.
They got a bad rap for 1940. Let's see, what did they have? A powerful, over rated, over confident armed forces
with hidden doctrinal flaws that were fatal, a polarised populace and electorate sharply divided between left and right,
and a divisive ineffective government with a leader despised by the opposition. On top of that it was, as is usual in France,
run by a whore. Nothing to see here. Move along. Keep moving........
what you did there....
I saw it.
Sounds like things are ramping up (http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/13/world/africa/mali-military-offensive/index.html?hpt=hp_t2)...
Quote
Islamist rebels in Mali acknowledged Sunday that they have suffered heavy losses in a battle against the military and French troops.
"This is a holy war. The deaths are normal," said Sanda Ould Boumama, spokesman for the rebel group Ansar Dine, which is linked to al Qaeda.
"Our fighters are prepared to die for our cause," he told CNN by phone.
One of the group's lieutenants, Iyad Ag Ghaly, was killed in the fight over the central town of Konna, security sources said.
Who is Ansar Dine?
Insurgents took the town on Thursday but retreated Friday after a combined air and ground assault.
"The war has only started," said Boumama. "We expect more casualties."
The military has sustained heavy losses as well. An effort to halt the rebels' advance caused "many deaths" in northern Mali, a military spokesman said Saturday.
Fatalities included Malian soldiers and a French pilot who was killed in a helicopter raid, the military spokesman said.
France, the country's former colonial ruler, recently sent several hundred troops to help the military in its battle against rebel forces. About 6,000 French citizens live in the country.
"There were many deaths on both sides, both rebels and government soldiers," Malian Defense Ministry spokesman Lt. Col. Diara Kone said Saturday. The government, in a statement read on state TV, said 11 of its soldiers died and about 60 were wounded in the battle for Konna.
"Every means was used in fighting the Islamists, including two attack helicopters. They sent the Islamists fleeing," Kone told CNN. "This shows that the Malian army is capable to fight."
The French pilot died while taking part Friday afternoon in an aerial operation targeting a terrorist group moving on the town of Mopti, near Konna, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
What's behind the instability in Mali
After decades of military rule, Mali held its first democratic elections in 1992. It remained stable politically until March, when a group of soldiers toppled the government, saying it had not provided adequate support for them to fight ethnic Tuareg rebels in the country's largely desert north.
Tuareg rebels, who'd sought independence for decades, took advantage of the power vacuum and seized swaths of land. A power struggle then erupted in the north between the Tuaregs and local al Qaeda-linked radicals, who wound up in control of a large area as the Tuaregs retreated.
The United Nations says amputations, floggings and public executions -- like the stoning of a couple in July, who'd reportedly had an affair -- became common in areas controlled by radical Islamists. They applied a strict interpretation of Sharia law by banning music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television, and damaged Timbuktu's historic tombs and shrines.
Already, the armed groups' activity, along with a pervasive drought, has left hundreds of thousands of Malians displaced.
The Islamists' movement southward has raised concerns among leaders in West Africa and elsewhere, some of them calling for swift and decisive military intervention to aid Mali's government, based in Bamako.
The Economic Community of West African States plans to hold an emergency meeting in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, to prepare to send troops to Mali to help government forces, a spokesman for the organization said.
West African troops are expected to number 3,500 and will operate in the framework of the United Nations resolutions, ECOWAS spokesman Sunny Ugoh said.
The U.N. Security Council last month authorized a one-year military peacekeeping mission in the country. ECOWAS members pledged thousands of troops, and the Security Council has urged other nations to contribute forces as well.
British Prime Minister David Cameron agreed to "provide logistical military assistance to help transport foreign troops and equipment quickly to Mali," but no British personnel in a combat role, a Downing Street spokesman said.
France has been in contact with U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta about the situation, Le Drian said.
The U.S. military is weighing options, including logistical support and intelligence sharing with France, according to a U.S. defense official who spoke on condition of anonymity because no decisions have been made.
"This is a serious issue, and ... the United States is committed to going after terrorists wherever they may be in order to protect American interests, but also those of our partners and allies around the world," Pentagon spokesman George Little said last week.
Mali meets all the qualifications for having a Western Armed Forces Infestation.
(African/Asian..check; Moslem....check; People aren't while...check; Could have terrorists...check; Nobody in USA has ever been there before..check.)
You may fire when you are ready Gridley.
I wonder what goes into French thinking to suddenly become active after remaining quiet for a time...
Quote from: Gusington on January 13, 2013, 02:50:38 PM
I wonder what goes into French thinking to suddenly become active after remaining quiet for a time...
I've been curious about that myself. First Ivory Coast, then Libya, now Mali (and Somalia, apparently). They've been pretty busy the last couple years.
France has a long history of military activity in West Africa and it
has been pretty much continuous for some time. Lately Mali has
come to the attention of Washington and the Pentagon and somebody
noticed the French were there doing stuff. Now it is news. Over here.
Old new in West Africa and France. If you have been to Paris lately
you will notice that it appears that a significant percentage of the
population of West Africa is living there now. Along with half of Morocco
and Algeria. And a lot of drunk Germans.
^Hasn't it been that way for 150 years?
Quote from: Martok on January 13, 2013, 02:58:59 PM
Quote from: Gusington on January 13, 2013, 02:50:38 PM
I wonder what goes into French thinking to suddenly become active after remaining quiet for a time...
I've been curious about that myself. First Ivory Coast, then Libya, now Mali (and Somalia, apparently). They've been pretty busy the last couple years.
a little like local councils here in the UK, if they dont spend their allocated budget in a given year whatever the surplus is it is deducted from next years budget - maybe they just had too much shit hanging around and needed someone to drop it on
^That is probably it.
Quote from: Longdan on January 13, 2013, 03:05:53 PM
France has a long history of military activity in West Africa and it
has been pretty much continuous for some time. Lately Mali has
come to the attention of Washington and the Pentagon and somebody
noticed the French were there doing stuff. Now it is news. Over here.
Old new in West Africa and France. If you have been to Paris lately
you will notice that it appears that a significant percentage of the
population of West Africa is living there now. Along with half of Morocco
and Algeria. And a lot of drunk Germans.
Nah. It's part of our "leading from behind" foreign policy.
They asked Obama about 50 times and he turned them down. Since the US wasn't going to do anything they took action.
What ever happened to "Whatever forners do is bad." ?
Damn Eurowimpweenies getting their bombs in first! What is the worlds coming to?
^Take it easy champ. You're just starting to fit in around here. Don't ruin it.
I am sympathetic towards the French moves in Mali.
Quote
Militants have taken control of the central town of Diabaly, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said, according to CNN affiliate BFM TV.
France's intervention last week was necessary, Le Drian said, to stop a rebel takeover of the capital, Bamako. "If we hadn't done that immediately, Bamako would be today in the hands of the terrorists," he said.
But it was unclear Monday when France's role in the military offensive would end, and whether there could be consequences beyond Mali's borders.
"There are risks in France and in other countries as well," Le Drian told BFM. "We are extremely vigilant in that regard."
Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly said Monday that it was unclear how long clashes with Islamist militants would last.
"Clearly, for us it's not just about making them retreat," he told BFM. "It is necessary to chase them out."
Coulibaly said his country was grateful for France's assistance, which it "urgently requested." And Mali may call on other countries like the United States for military aid, he said. "It is a problem which is currently in Mali, but which concerns the whole civilized world. And those who are in action against Mali could attack the rest of the world," he told BFM.
"It is a cancer which could have spread if we had not intervened, of course with the precious aid of France."
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Yeah. From the little I've heard there are some bad guys down there deserving whatever target practice the French can visit upon them.
France has long had a different kind of policy towards former colonial places
than what is considered "normal". They have been willing to intervene militarily
when invited in areas they no longer rule. After the horrendous experiences in
Indo-China and Algeria things changed. They learned enough, perhaps, to get
ahead of the game. Generally you don't learn by winning or by declaring victory
and leaving. A good asskicking can make a difference. France was running behind
the learning curve since Waterloo. Always learning the wrong thing at the wrong time.
QuoteAl Qaeda-linked terrorists in Africa today posted gruesome pictures of a man they said was a French commando killed in a failed operation to rescue a French intelligence agent overnight Friday.
The pictures, released via Twitter by the Somalia-based terror group al-Shabaab, show a white male in a dark blue shirt and camouflage pants surrounded by military gear and weapons. The shirt is covered in blood and the man appears to be dead. As a caption for one photo that shows the man's crucifix necklace, al-Shabaab tweeted, "A return of the crusades, but the cross could not save him from the sword."
http://news.yahoo.com/terrorists-taunt-france-failed-rescue-mission-173738584--abc-news-topstories.html
I hope that Frenchman went down fighting like Charles the Hammer.
The French have my moral support in this. Mali, Somalia, start eradicating extremist Islamists.
As for why France has become active, maybe its a distraction from the Euro financial situation?
Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on January 14, 2013, 10:20:41 PM
As for why France has become active, maybe its a distraction from the Euro financial situation?
I think the French know more about it. Besides, the US is winding down from two hot wars and who-knows-how-many covert actions. I reality we could probably use a breather.
Might want to dabble in your own financial affairs a bit.
Quote from: Longdan on January 14, 2013, 11:34:58 PM
Might want to dabble in your own financial affairs a bit.
There is that.
A coup might be a good idea but the Pentagon is kinda witless about money too.
sometimes you just shouldnt post.
type your post. read it twice. keep a brick next to your pc.
after reading it a few time think to yourself, would Star hit me with this brick if I hit the post key.
if the answer is yes tab out of the page and go check your myspace page.
Your swaggering internet bravado is impressive but I will take a pass.
Why would I have a myspace page anyway?
the internet truely needs a sarcasm font.
the French better be blowing stuff up!
its a shame to send men of to war wearing short shorts with matching vests!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPwVSo.jpg&hash=4e73ec8375f42eec7d628b049b8163f433154e03)
in other news the RAF is providing logististic air transport for French ground troops.
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F4liEb.jpg&hash=e0a47d27a19c36f801aaf6e57fc9005a16e513ee)
A Royal Air Force C-17 stands in the foreground as another prepares to be loaded with French military equipment at Evreux in northern France, January 14, 2013. Britain is lending logistical support to France as it sends troops and military equipment to Mali. *******/Andrew Winning
and which of you knucke draggers can tell me whats intersting about this photo?
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Quote from: Mr. Bigglesworth on January 14, 2013, 10:20:41 PM
The French have my moral support in this. Mali, Somalia, start eradicating extremist Islamists.
As for why France has become active, maybe its a distraction from the Euro financial situation?
I suspect
Longdan has the right of it, in that France probably has more of an interventionist mentality when it comes to their former colonies and the surrounding area.
Quote from: GDS_Starfury on January 15, 2013, 01:07:36 AM
the internet truely needs a sarcasm font.
So true.
Quote from: GDS_Starfury on January 15, 2013, 01:21:36 AM
and which of you knucke draggers can tell me whats intersting about this photo?
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F9z7qi.jpg&hash=599309830b3a9c06212cfe18401ac2ebafa09d19)
if those really are ear protectors then this guy has some high ass ears to contend with?
Star is really good at this.
The guy on the tarmac is offering to squeegie his windshield for five bucks.
The pilot has so much cran that he flies wit'out 'elmet.
Quote from: LongBlade on January 15, 2013, 11:23:55 AM
Star is really good at this.
The guy on the tarmac is offering to squeegie his windshield for five bucks.
The pilot must double as a swami, either he is going to levitate out of the cockpit, or he is going to walk down Mr. Short's back.
Meanwhile, back in Mali:
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.telegraph.co.uk%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F02449%2FFrenchMali_2449921b.jpg&hash=92467235ad6606244b74cdc030e23f5067b5175b)
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/story/2013/01/15/mali-bombing-french-diabaly.html
Quote
France will deploy 2,500 troops in Mali-
800 French soldiers, including special forces, already in country
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Quote from: GDS_Starfury on January 15, 2013, 01:21:36 AM
and which of you knucke draggers can tell me whats intersting about this photo?
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F9z7qi.jpg&hash=599309830b3a9c06212cfe18401ac2ebafa09d19)
The shitty paint job that you could fix?
The tiny blue eye on the recon pod?
The Gus Hairstyle of the pilot?
The large band around the vertical stabilizer to settle a vibration problem?
His hair looks fabulous. I also get the vibe that the French are just itchy for some Gallic muscle flexing. Maybe they forgot what Algeria was like. Either way it is nice to see another country besides the US step up in the anti jihad effort.
Is he playing keepaway with that helmet?
Quote
Dude, come on, give it to me! I'll totally get in trouble...
It's right here, loser...just reach...come on, reach...
And where is his 'back-seater'? Surely that's a 2-man aircraft.
Are you asking in an Aquaman sorta way?
It is a French aircraft. There is a hooker in a rear facing seat in front
and below the pilot right where it says "Sauvetage" which is an old
French Air Force joke on "Succour" as in "Succour de pilotes"
Quote from: Gusington on January 15, 2013, 03:49:36 PM
Are you asking in an Aquaman sorta way?
Nooo. Perish the thought.
But Star had set us a homework question and I so desperately wanted to be the clever dick wot got it, innit?
Quote from: Longdan on January 15, 2013, 04:32:08 PM
It is a French aircraft. There is a hooker in a rear facing seat in front
and below the pilot right where it says "Sauvetage" which is an old
French Air Force joke on "Succour" as in "Succour des pilotes"
As Brant's Grammar National Socialism might not apply to French, allow me to say "Fixed that for you."
Sorry mixed singular with plural modes I do not parlez every day
Il n'ya pas de quoi, mon vieux.
Je vous remercie
Quote from: Centurion40 on January 15, 2013, 06:08:15 PMAs Brant's Grammar National Socialism might not apply to French, allow me to say "Fixed that for you."
I only speak French in German
Achtung, Fußtiger!
So how would one pronounce that 2nd word?
foos-teeger
Danke.
That symbol has become very popular with the Neimanski
who have an aversion these days for putting an "s" with another "s"...
Certainly understandable.
Fluffy tiger?
Foot Tiger?
River Tiger?
Quote from: LongBlade on January 15, 2013, 07:51:41 PM
Achtung, Fußtiger!
..... That's nead That's nead That's nead I really love your tiger feet
wasn't there a song from the 70ies about this ;)
Quote from: MikeGER on January 17, 2013, 07:44:17 AM
Quote from: LongBlade on January 15, 2013, 07:51:41 PM
Achtung, Fußtiger!
..... That's nead That's nead That's nead I really love your tiger feet
wasn't there a song from the 70ies about this ;)
Thanks, Mike. If there was a song about it, I missed it as I was quite young then.
Good news in Mali
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/18/world/africa/mali-unrest/index.html
Quote
French, Malians seize town from Islamists
Bamako, Mali (CNN) -- French and Malian forces squaring off with Islamist militants seized a key city from them on Friday, a high-ranking French source told CNN.
The city is Konna, located in the central region of Mali, a sprawling, landlocked Saharan nation. That region is the latest front in the grinding fight between the West and al Qaeda-linked militants.
The development is an important advance a week after France launched an air and ground military offensive against a strong militant presence across northern Mali and other locations in the sprawling country. Insurgents advancing south toward the capital, Bamako, took Konna on January 10. They started retreating a week ago after the French and Malian forces pushed back, with air and fire power.
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What the heck? They'd supposedly recaptured Kona almost a week ago. Did they lose it a second time? ???
It is Africa maybe it switched sides by itself.
(https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/543766_416980548384916_1938588341_n.jpg)
^HA awesome.
Today from Reuters:
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/french-troops-advance-mali-islamists-melt-away-095602962.html
Here's something new (http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/01/french-troops-push-further-into-mali-desperately-try-to-surrender/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+duffelblog+%28The+Duffel+Blog%29)
Quote from: bayonetbrant on January 23, 2013, 07:36:50 AM
Here's something new (http://www.duffelblog.com/2013/01/french-troops-push-further-into-mali-desperately-try-to-surrender/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=twitter&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+duffelblog+%28The+Duffel+Blog%29)
Nice comment on gay marriage :)
I enjoy Duffel Blog but usually because it is more sophisticated than
"French...surrender...HAW! HAW! HAW!"
Maybe they are jealous of somebody else blowing up third worlders?
We wouldn't want to turn a stereotype on its head.
It's comedy, Dan. Even the best can't make us belly laugh every day.
Looks like somebody ordered some fruit baskets and band aids.
Things must be safe if the Canadians have shown up.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadian-special-forces-mali-not-combat-role-sources-000641926.html
Gotta practice somewhere, eh.
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Quote from: Longdan on January 29, 2013, 01:30:05 AM
Looks like somebody ordered some fruit baskets and band aids.
Things must be safe if the Canadians have shown up.
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/canadian-special-forces-mali-not-combat-role-sources-000641926.html
Nice.... coming from a Canadian..... :P
Self deprecating humour is a common trait, eh.
Long, detailed article on the situation in Mali. I've just made it through the first page (there are four). Well worth the time to read: http://dailycaller.com/2013/01/29/the-next-al-qaida-safe-haven-understanding-the-jihadist-threat-in-mali/
French paratroopers over Timbuktu on Monday
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5W9PKR6FdU
h/t Rex from PaxSims
Jumping Legionnaires!
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Quote from: Centurion40 on January 29, 2013, 03:58:43 PM
Jumping Legionnaires!
(https://www.grogheads.com/forums/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fupload.wikimedia.org%2Fwikipedia%2Fcommons%2Fa%2Fa0%2FInsigne_de_b%25C3%25A9ret_Parachutiste_m%25C3%25A9tro_et_l%25C3%25A9gion.jpg&hash=9462bcf88897a42d6455549b0dea9ed94596fdc3)
As bizarre-looking as this is, I also find it strangely badass.
Damn - now I'll have to watch the Dien Bien Phu movie again.
Play it backwards and it has a happy ending.
Its actually a good film, although the copy I have is an original french one, and my French is, erm, non existant.
To go with it though, is Bernard Fall's 'Hell in a Very Small Place' and 'Dien Bien Phu: The Epic Battle America Forgot' by Howard Simpson. Both good reads if you're interested in the subject.
Street Without Joy is another. I read them in grade school.
Aye, I have Street Without Joy, and you're right, it is another good read. I might try and get my hands on a copy of the Jules Roy book on Dien Bien Phu as well, provided its an English translation that is. ;)
if you want a good ground-level account of what happened, track down Steiner's autobiography The Last Adventurer. He was in the paras back then and does a good job of telling you what it was like on the ground.
The rest of the book is a pretty good yarn, too - he was part of the revolt in Algeria, and fought in Biafra and the Sudan, too.
He is rather full of himself as well but he tells a good story.
French troops make gains, and an election is in the Malian air.
Quote
A battle is under way to secure Kidal, the last major town in the sweep to flush out militants in the north. The French military said it seized the airport in Kidal on Tuesday night, thus gaining control of a major point of access. French forces are focusing on recapturing airports while Malian forces take over the cities, French army spokesman Col. Thierry Burkhard said.
http://www.cnn.com/2013/01/31/world/africa/mali-conflict/index.html?hpt=hp_t3
...And the French are already gearing up to leave.
Quote
"Nobody questions France's rapid deployment, but the ability to hold on to the cities and territory is an immense challenge. It is not clear how they will be able to sustain the recent gains," said Alex Vines, head of the Africa program at Chatham House. "The Islamist extremists have not been defeated. They have melted into the heat haze of the desert."
Many fear the Islamists will attempt to hide among civilian populations in outlying villages, only to return and attack the weaker African forces once the French are gone.
http://www.denverpost.com/nationworld/ci_22484969/french-take-town-kidal-might-leave-mali-soon?source=rss
That is how they do stuff these days. Go in, shoot a bunch of whoever is annoying them, and let the locals
try to sort it out. Rinse and repeat. They have been following that formula in that area for a long time.
They do not stick around militarily to deal with stuff but they will come back if the legitimate government
asks. They have been doing that in Chad (Tchad) for a while and it has made the news periodically.
Generally in the NorthAm media you do not get much info on what France is doing. The Brits abandoned
many of their colonies in a fit of post colonial pique. The French left theirs...... but frequently with a deal to
come back for a while if trouble like this develops.