 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 By Daphn� BENOIT Paris (AFP) April 10, 2019
French and Malian troops killed or captured more than 30 extremists and dismantled a jihadist training camp during a major counter-terrorism operation near Mali's border with Burkina Faso, the French military told AFP on Friday. The operation is the first since French forces set up a base south of the bend of the Niger River, building an advance position outside the town of Gossi in the heart of the restive Gourma region. "Over 30 members of armed terrorist groups were neutralised," the military said, a term meaning that they were killed or captured. A French military doctor was also killed during the operation, the military previously reported. The operation, lasting about 10 days, was launched in late March in Gourma, a crossroads region in Mali's central belt that flanks the border with Burkina Faso. The doctor was killed when his vehicle hit a mine, bringing to 24 the number of French defence force members killed in counter-terrorism operations in the region since 2013. Some 4,500 French troops are deployed in Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad in a mission codenamed Barkhane to help local forces try to flush out jihadist groups. The Gourma area is a haven for armed groups who hole up in dense forests along the border with Burkina Faso to the south, including a group suspected of carrying out several cross-border attacks. Around 700 French troops and 150 Malian troops took part in the air and ground operation against these bases, the military said. On the other side of the border Burkina Faso deployed troops "to prevent any attempt by the enemy to escape towards the south of the zone," French military spokesman Patrik Steiger said. - Forest havens - The operation first targeted the Foulsare forest in the southwest of Gao province, the military said. The French air force and commandos carried out preliminary strikes as dozens of French armoured vehicles in Gossi joined a Malian base at Hombori, 80 kilometers (50 miles) from the Burkina border, which served as a springboard for a joint ground attack. Troops found "a logistical base" containing rocket launchers and other weaponry, but no jihadists. "The enemy deserted the area when Barkhane arrived and did not seek to fight," Steiger said. The second phase of the operation, which caused the losses on the jihadists' side, targeted several sites including a training camp in the Serma forest, according to the military. A pick-up truck, a dozen motorbikes and arms and ammunition, including large amounts of material used to make roadside bombs were seized, the military said. - Lawless region - Extremists linked to Al-Qaeda took control of Mali's vast desert north in early 2012, but were largely driven out in a French-led military operation that began in January 2013. But huge areas are still in the grip of lawlessness, despite a 2015 peace agreement with some armed groups that sought to definitively stamp out the jihadist threat. Since then, jihadist attacks have shifted from the north towards the more densely-populated centre of the country, where it has fanned the flames of local ethnic conflicts which date back years. Around 15,000 people have fled their homes in the central region of Mopti alone, according to aid groups. President Ibrahim Boubabar Keita, under mounting pressure to improve security, on Tuesday chaired a senior military panel focussing on the centre of the country. Last Friday, at least 30,000 people marched in Bamako, the capital, to protest at the surge in the violence. Organisers estimated the turnout at 50,000.
French troops move to Mali's crossroads region in anti-jihad push Gossi, Mali (AFP) April 4, 2019 Under the scorching sun, diggers and earthmovers are hard at work breaking ground on a new French military base in east-central Mali where troops will begin operating near the Burkina border. The base will be the newest outpost of Operation Barkhane, France's 4,500-strong anti-jihadist force which is headquartered in Chad but also operates in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. Within Mali itself, French forces have spent the last 18 months largely fighting jihadists from ISGS (Islamic State in the Gr ... read more
|
|||||||||||||
|
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us. |
del.icio.us
Digg
Reddit
Google
