Mali rebel fighters better prepared than first thought: French officials
Initial French estimates of a brief conflict may be revised as militants are not breaking quickly, French airstrikes continue, and more French troops are on the way.
Initial French estimates of a brief conflict may be revised as militants are not breaking quickly, French airstrikes continue, and more French troops are on the way.
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French forces bombed an Islamist-held Malian town overnight in an attempt to regain control of a strategic military base, signaling that Al Qaeda-linked militants in Mali may be聽a tougher force than military analysts in Europe originally believed.
France launched its military offensive against the militants in Mali last Friday. The Islamists have occupied the country鈥檚 north since April and recently started working their way south, reports Agence France-Presse.
鈥淔rench officials have acknowledged that the rebels are better armed and prepared than they expected,鈥� reports the Associated Press, as airstrike operations last night continued and France said more of its troops based in the region were headed for Mali.
"[The French] bombed Diabaly. They bombed the town all night long. I am hiding inside a house," Ibrahim Toure told the AP. "[The bombing] only stopped this morning at around 6 a.m."
On Monday, Benco Ba, a Parliamentary deputy from the Diabaly area said the town was taken by militants on foot, and among them there were many 鈥渃hildren鈥� in their early teens.
鈥淲e are completely taken aback 鈥� there was an important military post there,鈥� Mr. Ba told the New York Times.
French troops increasing
There are currently 750 French troops deployed in Mali, which are expected to slowly increase to 2,500 soldiers, according to the New York Times.
鈥淲e will continue the deployment of forces on the ground and in the air,鈥� French President Fran莽ois Hollande said today, according to the Times. 鈥淲e 鈥� will keep increasing so that as quickly as possible we can hand over to the Africans.鈥�
The AP reports that a 40 to 50 truck convoy carrying French troops entered Mali from Ivory Coast today as 鈥淸s]everal thousand soldiers from the nations neighboring Mali are also expected to begin arriving in coming days.鈥�
Mr. Hollande told the Times that the deployment of troops from West African states, which will be supported by the French military, could take a 鈥済ood week.鈥�
When France intervened in the former French colony last week, it fast-tracked a planned international intervention, according to the Irish Times:
The decision to take action has majority public support in France. The聽海角大神 Science Monitor notes a French opinion poll yesterday showing 63 percent聽support of the intervention in Mali, and聽37 percent opposed.
French President Fran莽ois Hollande鈥檚 administration claims the intervention should take 鈥渁 matter of weeks.鈥� The French daily Le Monde noted in a Monday column that current public approval for intervention could wither if the war is drawn out. 鈥淥ne knows how these military interventions begin.鈥� [But] one never knows how they end. Or rather, one knows that a lot of them have turned out very badly,鈥� reports the Monitor.
An Islamist group in Mali said yesterday 鈥淔rance has attacked Islam. We will strike at the heart of France," which may feed fears for an attack on French soil. However, Bloomberg News reports that the risk may be more regional with the presence of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).