Posted on 08/21/2020 7:26:14 PM PDT by SunkenCiv
Col. Assimi Goita, who emerged Thursday as the head of the junta in power, worked for years with U.S. Special Operations forces focused on fighting extremism in West Africa. He spoke regularly with U.S. troops and attended U.S.-led training exercises, said officers from both countries, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Goita, who also received training from Germany and France, according to the officers, headed Mali's special forces unit in the country's restive central region, where fighters linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State have established a stronghold that has alarmed global leaders.
"By making this intervention, we have put Mali first," Goita said in a broadcast Thursday alongside top government officials. "Mali is in a sociopolitical and security crisis. There is no more room for mistakes."
Goita participated in U.S. Africa Command training exercises in West Africa known as Flintlock and attended a Joint Special Operations University bilateral seminar at MacDill Air Force Base in Florida, according to the Defense Department.
"The act of mutiny in Mali is strongly condemned and inconsistent with U.S. military training and education," said Marine Corps Lt. Col. Anton T. Semelroth, a Pentagon spokesman.
The Malian military will receive no more support from the United States until further review, he added.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
German Defense Minister Kramp-Karrenbauer said Sahel terrorism remained a "great threat." Her French coounterpart called Mali part of a "security challenge" across Sahel Africa, impinging to 'the whole of Europe."
French, British and German defense ministers on Friday insisted their troops would stay assigned to UN and French-led missions in Mali -- despite a military coup last Tuesday.
Europe's "engagement" in the UN's MINUSMA mission and France's Operation Barkane since 2012-2013 was "still necessary," said the host of the tripartite talks, Germany's Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer.
The anti-jihadist campaigns across the Sahel were "still necessary," said Kramp-Karrenbauer, "because terrorism remains a great threat, including for us here."
French Defense Minister Florence Parly said the Sahel's "security challenge" also represented a threat for the "whole of Europe" to Africa's north.
Britain's Ben Wallace, referring to Mali's coup, said "stability must be restored."
The three ministers urged Malian soldiers who led this week's coup to "return to constitutional order." Kramp-Karrenbauer echoed German Chancellor Angela Merkel's condemnation of the coup...
Assigned to MINUSMA, begun in 2013, are 13,000 UN "blue helmets," including currently some 900 German troops stationed mainly in Mali's restive Gao desert region, where Goita led infantry units from 2002 to 2008.
Since 2018, Britain has had some 100 soldiers assigned to France's 5,100-strong Operation Barkane, and has agreed to provide 250 British troops to MINUSMA starting this year.
In addition, the European Training Mission in Mali comprises 620 military instructors from 28 European countries, to train and equip Mali's army and more recently troops of neighboring G5 Sahel nations, including Niger and Chad.Germany, France, Britain to keep troops in Mali despite coup | News | Deutsche Welle | 21.08.2020
• Col Modibo Koné: Has played a key role in fighting jihadists
So, then, anti-jihadists?
And to keep the puns going, Col. Modibo is a Kone Head?
Flintlock started in 2005, so sometime in the past 15 years; and it would have taken some time for his career to have reached hight enough to head the coup, even in Mali.
Remember the phony “Kony” issue the Democrat media came up with in the 2012 election?
The opposition "demonstrations" were led by the most prominent imam in the country, so they'll need some experience fighting jihadists.
Why is it news when an African country overthrows one dictator for life to replace him with a different dictator for life? It would be news if if didn’t happen on a regular basis.
Was he supposed the become “our S.O.B.” or just a generic one? :)
Pass a certain percentage, female units tend to lose their soul and react emotionally. Women are good at tasks and can be more talented than men, but are terrible at hormonal stability, which completely negates their talents. It is a known fact they end up gauging friend or foe on sexual hormonal preferences and not professional moral standpoints.
The UN is trying to control Brit troops and create anti Brit mutiny through the female elements. Watch them getting handled by UN Pakistani troops which wont be forced to be more female...
Our military is incredibly naive to think these oppositions are civilian.
What is it they not understand when the Kalif said the Minarets are our watchtower?
China seem not to think so
Africa is extremely rich in rare earth and uranium, and could become China’s bread basket
Seems like a good enough guy .We trained him , we should support him .I can think of quite a few’civilian’ government’s that could stand a dramatic change . At bayonet point. Including our own if we let the commie Dems steal the election here. Off with their heads .
Seems like a good enough guy .We trained him , we should support him .I can think of quite a few’civilian’ government’s that could stand a dramatic change . At bayonet point. Including our own if we let the commie Dems steal the election here. Off with their heads .
The U. S. trains a lot of people. That doesn’t mean we
back them when they do things like this. Who knew?
He seems like a reasonable fellow. Actually looks a bit hung over. I say we put him in charge of Seattle
Why is he in the space suit?
China and Islam surely does, and thus besides private humanitarian aid, US national security requires combating both threats.
All these years I had thought that Molly Pitcher was part of the US Revolution.
Who ‘plagiarized’ who?
I thought he was ‘mad’ at Washington because they wouldn’t give him what he thought was a fair tryout as a Pitcher for the Washington Senators
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