Been going on for a while.
Posted on 01/17/2013 5:33:53 PM PST by MinorityRepublican
French troops have been fighting Mali's Islamist rebels in street battles in the town of Diabaly, Malian and French sources say.
In the first major ground operation in the conflict, French special forces were fighting alongside Malian troops.
Diabaly, 350km (220 miles) north of the capital Bamako, was captured by the rebels on Monday.
France intervened in Mali last Friday to try to halt the Islamists' push southwards towards the capital.
In a separate development, the chief prosecutor for the International Criminal Court opened a war crimes investigation, focusing on acts committed since January 2012 in some northern regions of the country.
"At each stage during the conflict, different armed groups have caused havoc and human suffering through a range of alleged acts of extreme violence," Fatou Bensouda said.
(Excerpt) Read more at bbc.co.uk ...
It’s high time any honest observer of the Islamic world should talk about to obvious truth about Al Qaeda. They are far more powerful and widespread now tha ever before. On 9/11, they were confined to back alleys and Afghanistan. Now they are pretty openly operating in North Africa, South Asia and Syria.
Of course you have heard this discussed on CNN, MSNBC, ABC, FOX and CBS. Actually, Al Jazeera is about the only place it’s discussed and, even there, it’s discounted.
The French have always believed they have a special relationship with the Arabs.
Flying Deuces---1939
Can’t blame Bush on the next terror attack in Europe.
Thanks MinorityRepublican.
I doubt the French have the same rules of engagements that we do. The French can be very ruthless.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.