French military targets Islamist rebels in Mali

[Kirkland Laing]

This is one of half a dozen countries that are getting Islamist nutjob/Al Quaeda-like groups setting up shop in it. But really it's just a continuation of rebel groups taking over from tinpot dictatorships in African countries, it's been going on since the colonial era. A couple of decades ago these guys were all Communist or similar, now they're Islamist. Islamism is just the rallying call du jour.

What'll be interesting is to see how much coverage the Brit/US media gives to French industrial/commercial interests in the region and how much of a part they're playing in it. There was plenty Frecnh coverage of our situation when we invaded Iraq.

We've got regional interest too. We'll probably get involved in a limited way, nothing on an Afghanistan scale, more like Libya.

Also, we're allleaving Afghanistan with out tails between our legs. The French just did it first. Getting your people killed for no reason the longest is going to be a competition between Britain and America.

Also too, the Jewhadi attack on Chuck Hagel getting nominated for War Secretary brought this stuff to my attention about our, uh, regional interests. Firstly Chuck Hagel, top foreign policy guy and chairman of the Pentagon Defense Committee for over a decade :

"People say we're not fighting for oil. Of course we are," said the Republican Senator from Nebraska Chuck Hagel to law students of Catholic University last September. "They talk about America's national interest. What the hell do you think they're talking about? We're not there for figs."

Hagel: War for Oil | The Weekly Standard

and this guy, a General who was running the war in Iraq for a couple of years and was head of CENTCOM :

"Of course it’s about oil, it's very much about oil, and we can’t really deny that. From the standpoint of a solider who's now fought in the middle east for six years – my son-in-law's fought there for four years, my daughter's been over there, my son has served the nation – my family has been fighting for a long time." – Gen. John Abizaid, former commander of CENTCOM, October 13, 2007. (Watch Abizaid say this .)


and Chairman of the Fed/Wall Street chief spokesman Alan Greenspan :

"I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

[VictorCharlie]

Spend some time with the French in Kapisa Province Kirk and you will understand what I'm talking about.

[Mars_ax]

The Mali Army seems totally worthless:

"Islamist rebels chased Mali's army from a garrison town deep in its own territory on Monday, striking back at the weakest link in a nascent coalition after French fighter jets hit militant bases deep in the Sahara."

Mali Rebels Push On Despite French Strikes - WSJ.com

[Kirkland Laing]

Spend some time with the French in Kapisa Province Kirk and you will understand what I'm talking about.

I imagine they were extremely pissed off to be there and were loath to put their lives at risk for no good reason.

[VictorCharlie]

Spend some time with the French in Kapisa Province Kirk and you will understand what I'm talking about.

I imagine they were extremely pissed off to be there and were loath to put their lives at risk for no good reason.

You'd be wrong. The average French Soldier I worked with was dedicated and brave. Unfortunately their politicians and senior leaders neutered them with absurd rules of engagement which led to them getting trounced or just ignored every time they left their base.

[Andre]

Spend some time with the French in Kapisa Province Kirk and you will understand what I'm talking about.

I imagine they were extremely pissed off to be there and were loath to put their lives at risk for no good reason.

You'd be wrong. The average French Soldier I worked with was dedicated and brave.

Unfortunately their politicians and senior leaders neutered them with absurd rules of engagement which led to them getting trounced or just ignored every time they left their base.

I imagine the first four words all go with the job description naturally.

The next sentence for the most part I imagine goes with the territory, in each countries services where ever they are and for each countries leaders who ever they are.

[VictorCharlie]

To a certain extent I agree Andre. I joined the military during a time of conflict with the full understanding that I would be going into harms way. Because of this I don't really feel I have the right to complain about it. Soldiers join for lots of reasons but they fight for each other. No one dodges bullets for the idea of patriotism or bringing freedom to some far off land. You do it b/c it is your sworn duty and to make sure that guy or gal to your left and right goes home. I expect my government to equip and train me to fight and then to let me execute my duties the best I can. For the most part this has been the case. While I haven't always agreed with the strategic or national goals of the conflicts I've take part in, I've always been given the resources I needed to accomplish my mission and bring my boys home. The French were sending their boys to Afghanistan then putting so many constraints on them they were not able to own their battlespace. They kept getting punched in the nose b/c they weren't allowed to do their job as it should be done.

[Kirkland Laing]

Spend some time with the French in Kapisa Province Kirk and you will understand what I'm talking about.

I imagine they were extremely pissed off to be there and were loath to put their lives at risk for no good reason.

You'd be wrong. The average French Soldier I worked with was dedicated and brave. Unfortunately their politicians and senior leaders neutered them with absurd rules of engagement which led to them getting trounced or just ignored every time they left their base.

I think the British were in the same boat. I think it's just the general staff trying to figure out how to do counterinsurgency best. I don't think it makes much difference if you decide to be as nice as possible or you just shoot fuck out of everything at every opportunity, counterinsurgency doesn't work.

[VictorCharlie]

COIN doesn't work long term w/o a good host nation partner but a combatant commander can definately make real short term progess against an insurgency with the right assets and leadership.

[TysonBomb]

I'm sure citizens of Mali would appreciate armed French invaders targeting "Islamist rebels" within their nations boundaries.

[Kirkland Laing]

COIN doesn't work long term w/o a good host nation partner but a combatant commander can definately make real short term progess against an insurgency with the right assets and leadership.

It doesn't really matter in the short term though. It's only worth doing if it works in the long term and I can't think of anywhere the west managed to do it effectively. I read something back during the Iraq situation that said the Brits had managed it in malaysia a hundred and odd years ago but that was only because they'd already been there over a century and had a lot of local knowledge/ties etc.

[Mars_ax]

This is one of half a dozen countries that are getting Islamist nutjob/Al Quaeda-like groups setting up shop in it. But really it's just a continuation of rebel groups taking over from tinpot dictatorships in African countries, it's been going on since the colonial era. A couple of decades ago these guys were all Communist or similar, now they're Islamist. Islamism is just the rallying call du jour.

Chairman of the Fed/Wall Street chief spokesman Alan Greenspan :

"I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

I always wonder where the al Qaeda militants get most of their funding, it would be interesting to know. I know in Afganistan much of their funding came from the sale of opium.

In re: 'The war with Iraq being largely about oil', yeah that and protecting Israel from imaginary nukes.

[Kirkland Laing]

This is one of half a dozen countries that are getting Islamist nutjob/Al Quaeda-like groups setting up shop in it. But really it's just a continuation of rebel groups taking over from tinpot dictatorships in African countries, it's been going on since the colonial era. A couple of decades ago these guys were all Communist or similar, now they're Islamist. Islamism is just the rallying call du jour.

Chairman of the Fed/Wall Street chief spokesman Alan Greenspan :

"I am saddened that it is politically inconvenient to acknowledge what everyone knows: the Iraq war is largely about oil."

I always wonder where the al Qaeda militants get most of their funding, it would be interesting to know. I know in Afganistan much of their funding came from the sale of opium.

In re: 'The war with Iraq being largely about oil', yeah that and protecting Israel from imaginary nukes.

The guys in Mali get their money from drug/people smuggling and kidnapping. And they've got a lot of money.

Al Quaeda's biggest funder is various members of the Saudi royal family but there are so many wealthy people in Saudi and the Gulf states who donate money to Islamist terrorist groups that there's no problem for any bunch of guys who want to cause the west trouble gettting funding.