French invade Mali

[Stuart]

Did anyone else read the thread title as "French invade Mail"? I came here half expecting to read about how the French had finally had enough of a certain sometimes racist English newspaper and had invaded their London offices.

Originally Posted by Stuart

Did anyone else read the thread title as "French invade Mail"? I came here half expecting to read about how the French had finally had enough of a certain sometimes racist English newspaper and had invaded their London offices.

We can only dream. They've probably got annoyed about the amount of English people that have moved over there at the Mail's suggestion!

Looks like the situation around Mali is worse than originally thought. We're still awaiting the result of the Algerian operation to free the captive hostages taken by 'militants'. It's unclear if it's directed related to Mail at the moment but there is a suspicion that it may well be.

If it is then they're not especially smart. They warn the French so they captured hostages from many nationalities including British and American. I don't much like British citizens being held, and at least 1 killed, by militants and I suspect others feel the same. Do the French need some more help?

[thenry]

i just come across this...

m.thestar.com/news/world/article/1317292--gadhafi-s-vanished-arsenal-stoking-sahara-unrest-experts-say

big mission over in Africa not just Mali if the above is to be believed. can France sort it out AND sort the Mali army out? i think more forces will be required. i think SkyNews said other Countries armies in Africa coming through to help need tuning up too.

[DocDutch]

the problem with the african armies is that they are under trained and under equipped really. Otherwise these issues wouldnt be happening as Human Health Watch isnt that much acknowledged in africa.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by henry

i just come across this...

m.thestar.com/news/world/article/1317292--gadhafi-s-vanished-arsenal-stoking-sahara-unrest-experts-say

big mission over in Africa not just Mali if the above is to be believed. can France sort it out AND sort the Mali army out? i think more forces will be required. i think Sky News said other Countries armies in Africa coming through to help need tuning up too.

To quote that report

As he watched, anti-aircraft guns, truckloads of munitions, surface-to-air missiles, even tanks were disappearing into the desert, bound for unknown destinations.

Now those same deadly weapons are surfacing in Mali, where rebel militias allied with Al Qaeda have declared a breakaway state in the north, and are battling French and Malian forces as they attempt to hold new territory in the central part of the country.

The weapons that they have are not as modern, as powerful and certainly don't have the range of those weapons they will come up against from the likes of the french , the UK or America.

There will be great lose of life but it will be mainly on the insurgent and militia side. The more they use them the more the West will destroy them. It will take time i admit but they will all be destroyed in the end.

[thenry]

Destroyed they will be and we hope its a domino effect but they still have dangerous weapons. Plus if the weapons are elsewhere and being used connected to Mali in someway and other Countries try get a grip over the nutcases then theres clearly a bigger fight on here.

[TheDaddy]

Originally Posted by Osem

That's not what my wife says..

Yes she has said that to me to

[Pierre]

Originally Posted by Stuart

Did anyone else read the thread title as "French invade Mail"? .

No

[thenry]

6 reasons events in Mali matter
edition.cnn.com/2013/01/16/world/africa/mali-six-reasons/index.html

[thenry]

Mali threatens to become another Afghanistan, Canada says

uk.reuters.com/article/2013/02/12/uk-mali-canada-idUKBRE91B1C620130212

[Sirius]

Gas Plant Terror Chief Killed In Mali

The al Qaeda commander who led the deadly assault on the In Amenas gas plant in Algeria has been killed, reports say.

Armed forces from Chad say Mokhtar Belmokhtar was killed when they targeted and destroyed a terrorist base in northern Mali.

Sky's Middle East correspondent Sam Kiley said his death would be "hugely significant".

"If confirmed - and it is likely to be confirmed - then this is a major breakthrough in the counter-terrorist operations in northern Mali," he said.

Excellent news

[thenry]

ye brilliant news. nutcases.

[Osem]

Good riddance. These people need to know there is nowhere to hide.

[Sirius]

Originally Posted by Osem

Good riddance. These people need to know there is nowhere to hide.

Indeed