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French troops arrive in Mali to stem rebel advance

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  • #16
    Originally posted by dave lukins View Post
    A couple of transport aircraft however, ''Downing Street stressed no UK troops would be deployed in a combat role''.
    I assume there are also ships suited to the task should that be what is required.
    sigpic

    Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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    • #17
      The U.S. already has a small presence there. Drones, communications and transport now and other assistance is on the table.
      France: US helping support Mali operation - Yahoo! News
      Removing a single turd from the cesspool doesn't make any difference.

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      • #18
        Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
        I assume there are also ships suited to the task should that be what is required.
        If they can sail up the Niger delta, sure...

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        • #19
          They can always get some gunboats from the museum.
          Those who know don't speak
          He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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          • #20
            Originally posted by kuku View Post
            The news article gives the impression that the war in Mali will be long drawn, where is this funding coming from? (is AQ still that strong in collecting funds)
            Leftovers from Gaddafi's stash? The whole mess began when Gaddafi was deposed anyways.

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            • #21
              Gents,the thing is very interesting.

              First,the French are not Americans.In this context,that's a good thing.Second is that for a whole lot of reasons the whole combat phase can't last longer than a few months.Third is the good ole US will make a lot of pictures and send a few of it's tankers and transport assets in the area.That's the good thing about US,in general.No need for big noise to do that.

              Last,the whole area experienced a see-saw battle between the settled folks and nomads since the dawn of time.French rule included.It's not a lasting solution to send in the Legion,but it may quiet them for a few years.The good part of the area is that usually their problems stay there.So once the militants(which by now are a part of the tribes) is rooted out,they'll move elsewhere.The Sahel is big.
              Vive La Coloniale.
              Those who know don't speak
              He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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              • #22
                Originally posted by Mihais View Post
                Last,the whole area experienced a see-saw battle between the settled folks and nomads since the dawn of time.French rule included.It's not a lasting solution to send in the Legion,but it may quiet them for a few years.The good part of the area is that usually their problems stay there.So once the militants(which by now are a part of the tribes) is rooted out,they'll move elsewhere.The Sahel is big.
                Vive La Coloniale.
                What happens in the Sahel should stay in the Sahel. But what if doesn't this time? The reason this long old conflict is getting attention is because of the possibility of Al Qaeda establishing itself there.

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                • #23
                  Originally posted by kato View Post
                  If they can sail up the Niger delta, sure...
                  :sigh: thought you were a bit better than that. Well, if you want to play silly buggers...

                  Roads. Big wide long things. Full of vehicles. Sure you've seen them. Germany was full of them last time I was there. Great for moving military equipment & soldiers....as I'm sure you know. Remarkably enough Africa has a few. Not as nice as Germany's, but still roads. Some of them even run from ports to major inland cities....like Bamako. I know, remarkable world innit?

                  Now, if we can get back to grownup comments....

                  Shipping could very definately be used to move supplies to friendly ports with road access to mali. No need to negotiate the Niger. may or may not be required, but certainly doable.
                  sigpic

                  Win nervously lose tragically - Reds C C

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                  • #24
                    so another brave attempt in the name of freedom & democracy...this time from French...:confu:

                    i am sure this has nothing to do with Mali's natural resources like Gold, Phosphate & Uranium
                    Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none; be able for thine enemy rather in power than use; and keep thy friend under thine own life's key; be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech.

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                    • #25
                      http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/14/wo...bal-home&_r=1&

                      A few gems ''American spy planes and surveillance drones have tried to make sense of the mess, but American officials and their allies are still scrambling even to get a detailed picture of who they are up against.'' and

                      ''Over the last four years, the United States has spent between $520 million and $600 million in a sweeping effort to combat Islamist militancy in the region without fighting the kind of wars it has waged in the Middle East.''

                      The voice of common sense,ignored as usual:

                      '' “This has been brewing for five years. The analysts got complacent in their assumptions and did not see the big changes and the impacts of them, like the big weaponry coming out of Libya and the different, more Islamic”

                      So,you stay for years in a place and you need drones to figure out basic things.Great stuff.And analysts who cannot analyse whether the night is dark.Or is that daylight that is dark.I'm confused. Bradley Manning was an analyst,so QED.


                      And the village idiot :''Some Defense Department officials, notably officers at the Pentagon’s Joint Special Operations Command, have pushed for a lethal campaign to kill senior operatives of two of the extremists groups holding northern Mali, Ansar Dine and Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Killing the leadership, they argued, could lead to an internal collapse.''

                      That's precisely what you should abstain in this case.Wars are different,this happens to be just your usual French colonial war.They need leaders to deal with and to break the loose enemy coalition of tribes apart.

                      The French probably know already what needs to be known(or most of it).And they definetely waste less money.


                      Guys,I love you,but you suck at this sort of things.You have your strongpoints,but this is clearly not yours.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by Mihais; 14 Jan 13,, 14:34.
                      Those who know don't speak
                      He said to them, "But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. Luke 22:36

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                      • #26
                        Originally posted by Bigfella View Post
                        Some of them even run from ports to major inland cities....like Bamako. I know, remarkable world innit?
                        Sooo... tell me all about that port you want to use. You even get the choice between four or five somewhat usable ones. All in countries that make Pakistan and the Southern Afghanistan Route look politically stable.

                        Look, there's a reason why France uses air transport and forward basing in this theater. Or why UNHCR is planning for the same in its contingency plans for Mali.

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                        • #27
                          Originally posted by Big K View Post
                          so another brave attempt in the name of freedom & democracy...this time from French...:confu:

                          i am sure this has nothing to do with Mali's natural resources like Gold, Phosphate & Uranium
                          If its AQ, they have to be fought and defeated. The west can not afford to ignore this stream.
                          Last edited by kuku; 14 Jan 13,, 17:12.

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                          • #28
                            Originally posted by kuku View Post
                            If its AQ, they have to be fought and defeated. The west can not afford to ignore this stream.
                            what i wanted to emphasize is if there is some natural resources "the west can not afford to ignore",

                            if not "the west can easily ignore"...

                            so in the name of honesty some one should declare this from "the west"
                            Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none; be able for thine enemy rather in power than use; and keep thy friend under thine own life's key; be checked for silence, but never taxed for speech.

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                            • #29
                              There are gold and uranium in Mali.
                              No such thing as a good tax - Churchill

                              To make mistakes is human. To blame someone else for your mistake, is strategic.

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                              • #30
                                not mali, but the recent french commando mission against al-shabab was disturbing on several accounts.

                                Somali militants post photo of French soldier killed in raid to free kidnapped intel officer - The Washington Post

                                first, that shabab was able to not only injure/kill two french commandos but also retrieve their bodies to put out mocking photos later (assuming the photo is not a fake). that seems to indicate the commandos got separated in the firefight or had to get the hell out of dodge before they could also extract the bodies.

                                second, according to the French the operative they were trying to free was killed, which means they couldn't get to him fast enough...which also means the militants kept it together long enough to either kill or remove the hostage. not enough surprise factor.

                                bad.
                                There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that "My ignorance is just as good as your knowledge."- Isaac Asimov

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