France set for “direct combat” in Mali within hours
French troops pressed northward in Mali toward territory occupied by radical Islamists on Wednesday, military officials said, announcing the start of a land assault that will put soldiers in direct combat “within hours.”
French ground operations began overnight in Mali, Adm. Edouard Guillaud, the French military chief of staff, said on Europe 1 television. France’s Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on RTL radio that soldiers were headed away from the relative safety of the capital toward the rebel strongholds in the north.
Residents of Niono, a city in the center of Mali which is just south of a town that was overrun by the jihadists earlier this week, said they saw trucks of French soldiers arrive overnight. The natural target for the French infantry is Diabaly, located 400 kilometers (250 miles) northeast of the capital and roughly 70 kilometers (45 miles) north of Niono. French warplanes have carried out airstrikes on Diabaly since the weekend, when a column of dozens of rebel vehicles cut off the road out of Diabaly and seized the town as well as its military camp.
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It’s going to be difficult getting used to saying the Malian Riviera.
Flange on January 16, 2013 at 2:02 PM
105mm airburst white-flag shells loaded, sir!
MelonCollie on January 16, 2013 at 2:05 PM
France set for surrender within hours?
El_Terrible on January 16, 2013 at 2:06 PM
White flag makers in Paris rejoice.
john1schn on January 16, 2013 at 2:07 PM
The world teeters on a razors edge – and Obama wants our guns.
F-me
jake-the-goose on January 16, 2013 at 2:08 PM
Send in the Legion.
France gets a lot of shiite for its military capabilities but in truth the guys who do join up REALLY want to be there, so they get a good crop of soldiers.
Bishop on January 16, 2013 at 2:08 PM
As fun as mocking the French can be, blaming soldiers for the mistakes of the Generals and Politicians does seem unfair. The greatest soldiers in the world would not have made the Maginot Line effective in stopping the Nazis.
Flange on January 16, 2013 at 2:15 PM
You know, they could’ve done all of this back when it started last year and probably wrapped up operations quickly. Instead let’s wait until the problem threatens the whole country and then try and do it half-assed!
Dack Thrombosis on January 16, 2013 at 2:15 PM
Maybe when they are finished they can go rescue the hostages in Algoregeria. 0bama probably won’t
Tc0061 on January 16, 2013 at 2:16 PM
I’m glad Hot Air keeps linking the Mali details; it’s a bigger story than people seem to realize.
theperfecteconomist on January 16, 2013 at 2:39 PM
As with others on this thread, I too would like to see the French do well. Maybe a taste of victory would help their citizens realize that success is not granted by their government but rather earned by their people, and that could be the first step to moving away from the socialism that seems to have sapped their wills and imaginations.
Yeah. Overly optimistic. Sue me.
apostic on January 16, 2013 at 2:41 PM
The Maginot Line forts held until they were attacked from all sides by a German army that had done an end run around them. The real incompetence was the French government’s, for not extending the Line along the Belgian border.
PersonFromPorlock on January 16, 2013 at 2:51 PM
I’m pretty sure announcing you’re going to attack in a few hours is something you shouldn’t be doing.
Nessuno on January 16, 2013 at 2:51 PM
We should be offering the French any non-direct combat support we can. I’m sure we’re not…
Aplombed on January 16, 2013 at 2:59 PM
That was my main point. The soldiers weren’t to blame, the higher ups were. Had the line been extended, the Nazis would have used a different plan with the same effectiveness (I believe).
Flange on January 16, 2013 at 3:01 PM
Instead of bayonets for their rifles the French politicians have supplied the soldiers with white surrender flags.
Within days or weeks the order from high will be given out: “Fix flags!”
Then the US will get involved….but first 3-6 months of securing a UN resolution…
albill on January 16, 2013 at 3:05 PM
France’s tier-one guys are as good as anyone’s, despite all the jokes…
Their politicians? Um.
CorporatePiggy on January 16, 2013 at 3:50 PM
The ever reliable Washy Post: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/worldviews/wp/2013/01/16/in-france-the-mali-intervention-is-more-popular-than-gay-marriage/
Money quote? Although the French are not well known for supporting the use of armed force, three-quarters of the French public supports President Francois Hollande’s decision to send troops to France
CorporatePiggy on January 16, 2013 at 4:31 PM