International backing for French forces battling Islamist militants in
Mali gathers momentum as U.S. military aircraft flew French troops to
the African nation.
FULL STORY
January 22, 2013 -- Updated 1754 GMT (0154 HKT)
Mali forces push back Islamic militants
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- U.S. military planes airlift French troops and equipment to Bamako
- Italy's parliament approves logistical support and military trainers
- Dozens of French armored fighting vehicles head toward northern Mali
- Malian forces recaptured the towns of Diabaly and Douentza on Monday
The U.S. mission began
Monday with two flights and is expected to continue for several days,
U.S. Africa Command spokesman Chuck Prichard told CNN from Stuttgart.
U.S. C-17 planes are
taking off from southern France loaded with French cargo and dropping it
off in the Malian capital, Bamako, he said.
The U.S. support is at the request of the French, who intervened in Mali 11 days ago after a plea for help from its government.
The French are involved
in the fight because Mali once was under the country's control, and
because Islamists have been threatening to turn the once-peaceful
democracy into a haven for international terrorists.
Unrest, tension continue in Mali
France beefs up troop number in Mali
Italy's lower house of
parliament approved sending 15 to 24 military instructors who will work
alongside the European Union in training Malian forces. It also agreed
to provide logistical support to include at least two cargo planes. The
time frame for Italy to provide the assistance is not yet decided.
Leaders from several
other countries have already offered troops or logistical support.
Canada and Britain are deploying military transport aircraft, while
Nigeria is set to deploy soldiers as part of the U.N.-mandated African
force to fight the insurgents.
Meanwhile, the battle continues to push back rebel forces on the ground.
On the road between Segou
and Bamako on Tuesday, a CNN crew saw a large column of French
mechanized infantry barreling toward northern Mali.
Dozens of armored
fighting vehicles packed with supplies appeared headed for the front
line of the battle against Islamist fighters.
On Monday, Malian forces
recaptured the central town of Diabaly, as well as the town of
Douentza, to the northeast, from al Qaeda-linked rebels.
A spokesman for the Malian military told CNN it had won control of the latter without the aid of French air support.
In his address to the
United Nations Tuesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said "political,
security and humanitarian efforts" are needed to meet the challenges
faced by Mali.
"Working with African
and international partners, we must do our part to help fully restore
Mali's constitutional order and territorial integrity," he said.
"Meanwhile, we continue
to work toward an integrated strategy for the Sahel region that would
address the mix of extremism, poverty, drought and governance challenges
that is causing such profound misery and dangerous insecurity."
Sahel is the area along the southern edge of the Sahara.
Monday's military gains
for Malian forces came as the government extended the country's state of
emergency for another three months.
"This advance by the
Malian army toward the cities held by their enemies constitutes a
certain military success for the Bamako government and for French
forces, who have intervened in support of these operations," French
Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said.
He stated his "total
confidence" in French forces in a mission that "aims to restore
sovereignty to Mali on its territory and to prevent the risk of the
constitution of a terrorist sanctuary in the heart of Africa."
France currently has
2,150 soldiers on Malian soil, with another 1,000 troops supporting the
operation from elsewhere, the defense ministry said.
Journalists are still
barred from traveling into northern Mali, which has been under the
control of militant Islamists for several months.
But the CNN crew was
able to enter Diabaly on Monday, where it was told by Malian and French
forces that Islamists left after they were hit directly in one of their
makeshift camps by the French and Malians.
The scene after one battle included burned-out armored vehicles and a truck that at one point belonged to the Islamists.
A Malian officer, Col.
Seydou Sogoba, told CNN that the Islamists were using sophisticated
weapons like he had never seen before. He believes they originated in
Libya.
As the news crew drove
into town, the dusty streets in the extremely poor area were mostly
empty except for military vehicles and French and Malian troops.
Whatever trucks had belonged to the Islamist rebels were bombed and
burned out. Destroyed high-caliber weapons were seen in the vehicles.
A French colonel,
exhausted from fighting and who wished not to be named, told CNN that
foreign fighters -- including some who are Algerian -- had been pushed
out of the area.
Sogoba told CNN the fight against the rebels was very hard, but he is focused on "preserving the national integrity" of Mali.
French President
Francois Hollande has said that if his country had not intervened, Mali
"probably would have fallen into the hands of terrorists."
French involvement began
the day after militants said January 10 that they had seized the city
of Konna, east of Diabaly in central Mali, and were poised to advance
south toward Bamako.
Ethnic Tuaregs who had
returned to Mali well-armed from fighting for late Libyan leader Moammar
Gadhafi staged a military coup last year against the Malian government.
Islamic extremists capitalized on the chaos, carved out a large haven
in Mali's north and imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law. The
Islamists banned music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on
television. They also destroyed historic tombs and shrines.
Those events stoked fear among global security experts that Mali could become a new hub for terrorism.
Meanwhile, the Norwegian Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre warned that the humanitarian crisis in Mali is worsening.
Because Algeria has
closed its borders, people in the north are increasingly heading to the
desert, where they will face harsh conditions and struggles over food
and water with limited humanitarian assistance, the group said.
"They cannot stay where
they are due to the grave insecurity caused by the conflict," said
Sebastian Albuja, head of the center's Africa and Americas Department.
"Yet the meager resources and the diminished coping abilities of the
government and humanitarian actors means that they are faced with
limited options."
Many are fleeing on foot
because they can't afford boats or buses, Albuja said, and even if they
do make it, they get there only to find the roads blocked.
The violence could soon
displace up to 700,000 in the country and around the region, said
Melissa Fleming, a spokeswoman for the United Nations' refugee agency.
CNN's Nima Elbagir and Ingrid Formanek
reported from Mali and Hada Messia from Rome; Laura Smith-Spark wrote
and reported in London. Richard Roth contributed from New York.
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