France pounds Islamist strongholds in northern Mali

Agence France-Presse

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French jets pounded the Islamist strongholds of Gao and Kidal in northern Mali on Sunday, January 13, forcing insurgents to flee on the third day of a game-changing intervention

BAMAKO, Mali – French jets pounded the Islamist strongholds of Gao and Kidal in northern Mali on Sunday, January 13, forcing insurgents to flee on the third day of a game-changing intervention that has been met with relief by the population and spurred the region into action.

Rafale fighter planes struck bases used by Al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Gao, the main city in northern Mali and the base from which ethnic-Tuareg rebels launched the offensive a year ago that touched off Mali’s descent into chaos.

France also struck a large base in the northern region of Kidal, targeting rebel stockpiles of munitions and fuel, a security source said.

“Stopping the terrorists — it’s done,” French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said. “Today we started taking care of the terrorists’ rear bases.”

In addition to the Rafales, former colonial ruler France has used Gazelle helicopters and Mirage jets since it launched the operation alongside the Malian army Friday, January 11, to counter a push south by the rebels, who had threatened to advance on the capital, Bamako.

Algeria on Sunday granted France permission to use its airspace to reach targets in Mali.

Residents in Gao, which had been under the control of a group called the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa, said the French airstrikes had levelled the Islamists’ position and forced them to flee.

“We can see smoke billowing from the base. There isn’t a single Islamist left in town. They have all fled,” a teacher said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

French President Francois Hollande, who has been struggling on the domestic front and whose ratings have hit record lows, said the intervention had stopped the rebels’ advance, but stressed that France’s mission was not over.

The UN Security Council will meet Monday, January 14, to discuss the conflict at France’s request, a spokesman for the country’s UN mission said.

In France itself, authorities were on high alert over fears of a backlash on home soil by Islamist radicals.

Some Gao residents rejoiced at the French strikes but said they needed friendly troops to fill the void as soon as possible.

“What we need now is for the (Malian) army to come here so that the Islamists can’t come back,” a young student said.

Residents of Timbuktu, which has seen some of the worst Islamist abuses over the past 10 months, said they were also eager for French jets to arrive.

“The population is cut off from the south. We can’t travel, it’s become too dangerous,” said Elhaj Cisse, a literature teacher.

“We are waiting for this French intervention. We have been living in a very totalitarian regime for nine to 10 months,” he said.

In Gao and the newly liberated town of Konna, “people are relieved. They have been in this situation for 10 months. We needed this spark…. Everyone is saying it, even in the mosques,” another resident said.

Aides to Hollande described the militants as better trained and armed than expected.

“What has struck us markedly is how modern their equipment is and their ability to use it,” one said in a reference to the rebels’ hit on a French helicopter, which resulted in the death of its pilot, France’s only confirmed fatality.

Top Islamist leader ‘Kojak’ reported killed

Senior officers from neighbouring countries were expected in Bamako on Sunday to prepare for the arrival of the first troops of a multinational West African force.

The force has been authorized by the UN Security Council to help the Malian government reclaim control of the north. It will be commanded by General Shehu Abdulkadir of Nigeria, which will provide around 600 men.

Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal and Togo all pledged around 500 troops this weekend, while Benin has said it will send 300.

It remained unclear when these forces would arrive.

Media reports have said France is deploying about 500 troops in Mali.

The French mission will be at full strength by Monday, primarily deployed around Bamako to protect the 6,000-strong expatriate community, said its commander.

A Malian security source said leading Islamist Abdel Krim had been killed in Konna. Krim, nicknamed “Kojak”, was said to be a key lieutenant of Iyad Ag Ghaly, the leader of Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith), one of the Islamist groups which have controlled northern Mali since last April.

Since taking advantage of a power vacuum created by a March military coup to seize control of huge swathes of Mali, the Islamists have imposed an extreme form of Islamic law in areas they control.

They have destroyed centuries-old mausoleums they see as heretical, and perceived offenders against their moral code have been subjected to floggings, amputations and sometimes executions.

A Malian officer in the central town of Mopti, near the front line, said dozens, possibly as many as 100, Islamists had been killed in Konna.

The last few days of fighting have claimed the lives of 11 Malian soldiers, officials said.

Human Rights Watch, citing residents’ reports, said at least 10 civilians had died as a result of the fighting in Konna, including three children who drowned while trying to flee across the Niger river.

France’s intervention has been backed by the main opposition at home, by Britain, which has offered logistical support in the form of transport planes, and by the US, which is considering offering surveillance drones for the operation.

Its closest partner Germany has also defended France’s action but has ruled out sending any troops and warned that Mali’s problems can only be solved by political mediation.

Malian authorities said they would re-open schools in Bamako and nearby Kati on Monday, after they were closed last week amid violent protests calling for the liberation of the north and the departure of interim president Dioncounda Traore. – Rappler.com

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