National Security & Defense

Eugene

(61,919 posts) Tue Jan 22, 2013, 09:14 PM Jan 2013

Mali conflict: US begins French troop airlifts

Source: BBC

22 January 2013 Last updated at 19:49 GMT

Mali conflict: US begins French troop airlifts

The US military has begun airlifting French soldiers and equipment to Mali to support their operation against Islamist militants.

Five US flights had already landed in the capital, Bamako, with more planned in the coming days, a spokesman said.

France began its intervention nearly two weeks ago with the aim of halting the militants' advance south.

It plans to hand command of the operation to a West African force which has some 1,000 soldiers on the ground.

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Mali conflict: US begins French troop airlifts (Original Post) Eugene Jan 2013 OP

France does not have any airplanes? dixiegrrrrl Jan 2013 #1

Talk about who's ox is being gored Leslie Valley Jan 2013 #2

dixiegrrrrl

(60,010 posts)

1. France does not have any airplanes?

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jan 22, 2013, 09:29 PM

Jan 2013

Leslie Valley

(310 posts)

2. Talk about who's ox is being gored

Reply to Eugene (Original post)

Tue Jan 22, 2013, 10:03 PM

Jan 2013

During the 1986 Libyan raid, the United States was denied overflight rights by France, Spain and Italy as well as the use of European continental bases.

Now we're flying out of Istres, France in support of their military adventure?

Algeria and Mali must be hitting a little too close to home for the French.

BTW, We are moving "assets" from Japan to Diego Garcia too, that's half the distance from Japan to Mali/Algeria.(don't ask)

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