French Success In Mali May Herald 'War Of The Shadows' -- Jonathan Marcus, BBC
It is not exactly blitzkrieg in the desert, but French commanders can be well-pleased with the way their operation in Mali has played out so far.
Pressed to intervene when the Malian army was at the point of collapse, French air power and special forces have helped to stabilise the situation on the ground, while French troops have secured vital staging areas to enable African troops to begin to deploy.
Retaining the initiative, the French have pushed northwards. Along with Malian troops, they have over-run the town of Gao and they have also captured the airport on the outskirts of Timbuktu.
Securing population centres and destroying the militant Islamists' logistical bases is clearly a crucial French goal.
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My Comment: As military operations go .... the French and their allies have been very successful. But it is still too early to determine what the final outcome will be in Mali. Some U.S. officials are even alluding to the possibility that the Mali intervention will actually force France and African nations to commit forces to stay in the region for years in order to insure that Al Qaeda and their affiliates do not come back .... in short .... a quagmire. What's my take .... Africa will have to step up and be ready to commit military forces and political capital for Mali to reform and to accommodate the Tuareg people of the north. In short .... prepare to stay put for the long haul.
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