Posted on 02/03/2013 12:45:13 PM PST by Pan_Yan
(Reuters) - French warplanes pounded Islamist rebel camps in the far north of Mali on Sunday, military sources said, a day after French President Francois Hollande was hailed as a savior during a visit to the West African country.
Thierry Burkhard, spokesman for the French army in Paris, said the overnight raids targeted logistics bases and training camps used by the al Qaeda-linked rebels near the town of Tessalit, close to the Algerian border.
...
France says the rebels are also holding hostage in these mountains seven of its citizens, seized in recent years in the Sahara region.
Malian military sources said French and Chadian troops had clashed with members of the Ansar Dine militant group in the region around Kidal on Saturday.
...
France has deployed 3,500 ground troops, fighter jets and armored vehicles in the three-week-old Operation Serval (Wildcat) which has broken the Islamists' 10-month grip on the towns of northern Mali, where they violently imposed sharia law.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
Never in my wildest DREAMS had I thought I’d be saying this to FRENCH troops but, “Go Get ‘Em, Boys!”
Strange...no journalists with the “Islamists” getting their side of the story. No stories about how French bombs have killed innocent babies. When socialists go to war....they get it right apparently..
Vive la France!
How about this: "The French Military: Doing the Job Obama won't let our troops do!"
send in some AC-130s,, use a MOAB,, quit messing around.. or send the Foreign Legion in
Exactly.
I’m a vet, and even though women weren’t allowed into combat while I was serving, I took consolation in the fact that back in the day I could’ve kicked a French soldiers @ss if need be, LOL!
Say what we will about the French, they see a former ally in trouble and they go there and KICK SOME ASS (sorry mods, I needed to get the point across).
If only the rest of the Western World could learn from them - they are awesome, at least so far.
Do the French have A-10s (or similar)?
I wonder how the coverage would be different if Sarkozy was Prime Minister instead of Hollande.
Racist, million man marches in the streets, Muslim baby killer....
I like Desert French Fries
Mali is a big place. 3,500 French troops in a country twice the size of Texas with a population over 15 million isn’t a lot of firepower. It’s pretty unlikely they’ll be aboe to root Al Qaeda out of there.
“Mali is a big place. 3,500 French troops in a country twice the size of Texas with a population over 15 million isn’t a lot of firepower. It’s pretty unlikely they’ll be able to root Al Qaeda out of there.”
It also depends on other factors, such as the performance of the Malian army and the support or lack thereof of the local population.
No. They do have some aircraft that are capable of ground attack, but nothing like the A-10.
There is no such thing as the “Malian Army”, and the local population has been hostile to the Federal authorities for much longer than the French colonialists first foray in to the country several hundred years ago.
This raid was equivalent to Clinton ordering multimillion dollar cruise missiles to hit empty tents in the desert at least three days after the AQ guys had left the region.
The tail wags the dog, and Freepers are once again getting suckered into this hook, line and sinker.
The French are indeed a curious bunch. You NEVER know what will tip their scales.
Don’t they still maintain that gang of mercs on Crete or whatever that island fortress is?
Go figure.
Excellent point!
I hadn’t thought about a socialist at the helm, trying desperately to get French minds off a really sour economy and golden gooses running for Belgium and Switzerland.
Mudslimz just became a target of convenience.
Manifique! Whenever I read that Muslims are getting killed I’m happy inside.
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