http://www.debka.com/article/22687/Al-Qaeda-threatens-to-blow-up-Algerian-gas-field-with-hostages-
Instead, the Sahel tribesmen followed the Touareg in absconding to Mali with top-quality weapons for desert warfare and hundreds of vehicles from US and ex-Libyan military arsenals.
and....
http://www.businessinsider.com/militants-kill-and-kidnap-foreigners-in-algeria-2013-1
( Don't send in the French for the rescue mission - they're track record is not very good.... )
Dozens of armed jihadists claiming to come from Mali killed two foreigners, including a French national, and kidnapped at least 20 more in a raid at an oil field in Algeria on Wednesday.
and.....
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013116154848726750.html
( Blow back...... )
http://www.debka.com/article/22687/France-in-Mali-fights-the-unfinished-Libyan-War
But France, no more than the US, had learned from the Afghanistan War that Al Qaeda cannot be beaten by aerial warfare - certainly not when the jihadists are highly trained in special forces tactics and backed by highly mobile, well-armed local militias, armed with advanced anti-aircraft weapons and knowledgeable about conditions in the forbidding Sahara.
They are led by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – AQIM; the West African jihadist MUJAO; and the Somali al-Shabaab which is linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP. Together, they are threatening to execute one by one the 10 or eleven French hostages they are holding as part of their revenge on France.
The French declared their mission to be to dislodge the Islamists from an area larger than Afghanistan in the north, including the principal towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. Without several thousand special forces’ troops on the ground, this is just a pipedream.
The disaffected Touareg tribes are supporting al Qaeda against the French as part of their drive for independence. Their added value is the training in special forces’ tactics some 1,500 Touareg fighting men and their three officers received from the US. The US originally reserved them as the main spearhead of a Western Saharan multi-tribe campaign to eradicate al Qaeda in North and West Africa.
Instead, the Sahel tribesmen followed the Touareg in absconding to Mali with top-quality weapons for desert warfare and hundreds of vehicles from US and ex-Libyan military arsenals.
and....
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013116101421991386.html
and....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/01/15/malis-islamists-united-by-invasion/
The groups have some commonalities, but have often been at odds since taking over the north, in many cases clashing openly over control of key areas. Ansar Dine in particular openly talked about severing all ties with AQIM and backing elections in an effort to avoid war.
Al Qaeda threatens to blow up Algerian gas field with hostages
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 16, 2013, 8:21 PM (GMT+02:00)
On January 11, a few hundred French troops and a handful of fighter jets and gunships launched a campaign against Islamist terrorists in Mali, a West African desert vastness larger than Texas and California combined. This former French colony appealed to Paris for aid to throw back a mixed al Qaeda-rebel advance on the capital, Bamako.
But France, no more than the US, had learned from the Afghanistan War that Al Qaeda cannot be beaten by aerial warfare - certainly not when the jiahdists are highly trained in special forces tactics and backed by highly mobile, well-armed local militias, armed with advanced anti-aircraft weapons and knowledgeable about conditions in the forbidding Sahara.
But France, no more than the US, had learned from the Afghanistan War that Al Qaeda cannot be beaten by aerial warfare - certainly not when the jiahdists are highly trained in special forces tactics and backed by highly mobile, well-armed local militias, armed with advanced anti-aircraft weapons and knowledgeable about conditions in the forbidding Sahara.
Within 48 hours, this modest “crusader” intervention had united a host of pro-al Qaeda offshoots and allies, some of them castoffs from the army of Libya’s deposed Muammar Qaddafi.They are led by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – AQIM; the West African jihadist MUJAO; and the Somali al-Shabaab which is linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP. Together, they are threatening to execute one by one the 10 or eleven French hostages they are holding as part of their revenge on France.
The French declared their mission to be to dislodge the Islamists from an area larger than Afghanistan in the north, including the principal towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. Without several thousand special forces’ troops on the ground, this is just a pipedream.
The disaffected Touareg tribes are supporting al Qaeda against the French as part of their drive for independence. Their added value is the training in special forces’ tactics some 1,500 Touareg fighting men and their three officers received from the US. The US originally reserved them as the main spearhead of a Western Saharan multi-tribe campaign to eradicate al Qaeda in North and West Africa.
The disaffected Touareg tribes are supporting al Qaeda against the French as part of their drive for independence. Their added value is the training in special forces’ tactics some 1,500 Touareg fighting men and their three officers received from the US. The US originally reserved them as the main spearhead of a Western Saharan multi-tribe campaign to eradicate al Qaeda in North and West Africa.
Instead, the Sahel tribesmen followed the Touareg in absconding to Mali with top-quality weapons for desert warfare and hundreds of vehicles from US and ex-Libyan military arsenals.
This major setback for US administration plans and counter-terror strategy in Africa tied in with Al Qaeda’s assassination of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his staff in Benghazi last September. Because the United States held back from direct US military action in both cases, Qaeda has been allowed to go from strength to strength and draw into its fold recruits from Mali’s neighbors. They are tightening their grip on northern Mali and have imposed a brutal version of Islam on its inhabitants, putting hundreds to flight.
France stepped in when al Qaeda drove south to extend its rule to all parts of Mali and pose a terrorist threat to Europe.
and....
http://www.businessinsider.com/militants-kill-and-kidnap-foreigners-in-algeria-2013-1
( Don't send in the French for the rescue mission - they're track record is not very good.... )
US Forces On Standby Near Algeria Hostage Situation
 |
Barbara Starr of CNN reports that a U.S. Africa Command response force is waiting on standby, adding that the team has been diverted from Mali and is gathering intel on the facility.
Al-Arabiya reports, citing AFP, that "55 kidnapped Algerian and foreign workers were freed."
Earlier it was reported that there were 41 kidnapped foreigners, including seven Americans and citizens of the UK, France, Ireland, Japan and Norway.
Al-Arabiya and Le Monde then reported that a French catering company announced 150 of its Algerian employees are being held at the plant, which is jointly operated by British oil giant BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's Sonatrach.
Alex Spillius of The Telegraph describes the raid as "the most spectacular act the region has seen in two decades of terrorism."
U.S. officials told CNN that they believe the attack originated in Libya, the border of which lies 60 miles from the Ain Menas oil field.
The militants, reportedly members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), are demanding a halt of French attacks in northern Mali and the release of 100 militants being held in Algeria in exchange for the safety of kidnapped hostages.
An Algerian security official told The Associated Press that Algerian forces have surrounded the kidnappers, and Algeria's interior minister said authorities "will not respond to any of the terrorists' demands and refuse all negotiation."
Al-Arabiya noted that the raiders are reportedly commanded by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, a veteran Saharan jihadist and smuggling kingpin.
“He’s one of the best known warlords of the Sahara,” said Stephen Ellis, an expert on organized crime and professor at the African Studies Centre in the Netherlands, told Al-Arabiya.
Jihadists in the area built an empire off ransom payments and drug trafficking.
The attack is the first of its kind on an oil field in Algeria, according to Algerian media.
and.....
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013116154848726750.html
( Blow back...... )
Foreigners seized after deadly Algeria attack | |||
At least two people killed and "dozens" abducted by fighters demanding end to French operations in Mali.
Last Modified: 16 Jan 2013 22:33
| |||
| Armed fighters have kidnapped a group of foreign workers after killing at least two people in a raid near a southern Algerian gas field, apparently in retaliation against France's intervention in Mali, officials say. A spokesperson for the "Masked Brigade", claiming to hold the hostages, said Wednesday's operation near the In Amenas field was to punish Algeria for allowing French jets to use its airspace in attacking al-Qaeda-linked rebel groups in Mali. Later on Wednesday, the group claimed to have repelled an attempt by Algeria's army to enter the facility, according to Mauritania's ANI news agency.
"Forty-one Westerners including seven Americans, French, British and Japanese citizens have been taken hostage," the spokesperson said. "The operation was in response to the blatant interference by Algeria and the opening of its air space to French aircraft to bomb northern Mali."
ANI said the fighters demanded an end to French military operations in return for the safety of the hostages. The In Amenas gas field is jointly operated by British oil giant BP, Norway's Statoil and Algeria's Sonatrach. The Algerian interior ministry said: "A terrorist group, heavily armed and using three vehicles, launched an attack this Wednesday at 5am against a Sonatrach base in Tigantourine, near In Amenas, about 100km from the Algerian and Libyan border." Official account One Briton and an Algerian were killed in the attack, Interior Minister Dahou Ould Kablia said. Seven others were reportedly injured.
A spokeswoman said she could only confirm that "British nationals are caught up in this incident" and that it was an "ongoing terrorist incident". The attack began with the ambush of a bus carrying employees from the gas plant to the nearby airport but the attackers were driven off, according to the Algerian government, which said three vehicles of heavily armed men were involved. "After their failed attempt, the terrorist group headed to the complex's living quarters and took a number of workers with foreign nationalities hostage," the government said. The interior minister was quoted by official news agency APS as saying: "The Algerian authorities will not respond to the demands of the terrorists and will not negotiate." Hundreds of Algerians work at the plant and were taken hostage in the attack, but the state news agency reported that they had gradually been released in small groups, unharmed.
|
http://www.debka.com/article/22687/France-in-Mali-fights-the-unfinished-Libyan-War
France in Mali fights the unfinished Libyan War
DEBKAfile Exclusive Report January 16, 2013, 11:31 AM (GMT+02:00)
On January 11, a few hundred French troops and a handful of fighter jets and gunships launched a campaign against Islamist terrorists in Mali, a West African desert vastness larger than Texas and California combined. This former French colony appealed to Paris for aid to throw back a mixed al Qaeda-rebel advance on the capital, Bamako.
But France, no more than the US, had learned from the Afghanistan War that Al Qaeda cannot be beaten by aerial warfare - certainly not when the jihadists are highly trained in special forces tactics and backed by highly mobile, well-armed local militias, armed with advanced anti-aircraft weapons and knowledgeable about conditions in the forbidding Sahara.
Within 48 hours, this modest “crusader” intervention had united a host of pro-al Qaeda offshoots and allies, some of them castoffs from the army of Libya’s deposed Muammar Qaddafi.
They are led by Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – AQIM; the West African jihadist MUJAO; and the Somali al-Shabaab which is linked to Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula – AQAP. Together, they are threatening to execute one by one the 10 or eleven French hostages they are holding as part of their revenge on France.
The French declared their mission to be to dislodge the Islamists from an area larger than Afghanistan in the north, including the principal towns of Timbuktu, Gao and Kidal. Without several thousand special forces’ troops on the ground, this is just a pipedream.
The disaffected Touareg tribes are supporting al Qaeda against the French as part of their drive for independence. Their added value is the training in special forces’ tactics some 1,500 Touareg fighting men and their three officers received from the US. The US originally reserved them as the main spearhead of a Western Saharan multi-tribe campaign to eradicate al Qaeda in North and West Africa.
Instead, the Sahel tribesmen followed the Touareg in absconding to Mali with top-quality weapons for desert warfare and hundreds of vehicles from US and ex-Libyan military arsenals.
This major setback for US administration plans and counter-terror strategy in Africa tied in with Al Qaeda’s assassination of US Ambassador Chris Stevens and three of his staff in Benghazi last September. Because the United States held back from direct US military action in both cases, Qaeda has been allowed to go from strength to strength and draw into its fold recruits from Mali’s neighbors. They are tightening their grip on northern Mali and have imposed a brutal version of Islam on its inhabitants, putting hundreds to flight.
France stepped in when al Qaeda drove south to extend its rule to all parts of Mali and pose a terrorist threat to Europe.
and....
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/africa/2013/01/2013116101421991386.html
France 'hours away' from direct Mali combat |
French soldiers heading north towards rebel strongholds, as Nigeria deploys about 200 troops to take part in conflict.
Last Modified: 16 Jan 2013 12:22
|
France's military chief of staff said that the French ground operations began overnight [Reuters]
|
| French troops are heading north in Mali towards rebel-occupied territory at the start of a land assault that will put soldiers in direct combat "within hours". Nigeria is leading the African intervention in the country, with the deployment of about 200 soldiers as foreign governments invest heavily in the country to prevent it from falling into rebel hands.
Edouard Guillaud, France's military chief of staff, said that the French ground operations began overnight.
Al Jazeera's Nazanine Moshiri, reporting from Bamako, confirmed reports that the French troops were heading north from the Malian capital. "It is a very difficult situation for the French," said Moshiri. "Ansar al Din and other armed rebel groups that have control of the area know the terrain very well, and they have very sophisticated weapons." She added that the first Nigerian contingent of about 190 soldiers are to arrive later on Wednesday and that the Niger parliament is waiting for approval to send its own contingent of more than 500 soldiers, who are waiting at the border. Some of the French troops are headed toward Diabily, where France had been carrying out airstrikes since Saturday after rebels seized the town as well as a military camp. Diabaly residents who fled the area told the AP news agency that al-Qaeda-linked rebels have sealed off the roads to the town and are preventing people from leaving, fearing that the rebels would use the residents of the town as a human shield. Change of heart The Organisation of Islamic Co-operation (OIC) expressed support for the French-led military operation in the West African country on Wednesday. "[The OIC] has reaffirmed the full support and solidarity with the Republic of Mali in its efforts to expeditiously recover areas in the north of its territory under the control of armed groups in order to restore its national unity and territorial integrity," said Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu, the OIC chief. On Tuesday, Ihsanoglu had called for an "immediate ceasfire" and described the military offensive as "premature". On the ground French President Francois Hollande authorized airstrikes last Friday after rebels began progressing toward the capital from the northern part of the country which they control. The rebels seized the north in April 2012 amidst the unrest that followed a coup in the Malian capital. Hollande said that he felt his decision Before tripling the number of French troops deployed in Mali to 2,500 from 800 on Tuesday, France insisted that it would provide only air and logistical support for a miltary intervention.
Thousands of African soldiers from the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) are due to join the Mali offensive, under a United Nations mandated deployment.
|
and....
http://news.antiwar.com/2013/01/15/malis-islamists-united-by-invasion/
Mali’s Islamists United by Invasion
Once Fighting One Another, Islamist Factions Now Solid in Resisting French
by Jason Ditz, January 15, 2013
Reports on the Islamists in control of northern Mali often just label them all “al-Qaeda,” but the reality of the situation is that in addition to the al-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) faction, several other independent Islamist factions, including MUJAO and Ansar Dine, have as much, or more influence across the region.
The groups have some commonalities, but have often been at odds since taking over the north, in many cases clashing openly over control of key areas. Ansar Dine in particular openly talked about severing all ties with AQIM and backing elections in an effort to avoid war.
But since France launched its invasion over the weekend, those differences and rivalries have dried up. Northern Mali is under attack from abroad and the myriad fighters are now unified by a common enemy.
Ansar Dine and MUJAO both have deep ties in Mali, and support among the local population in several of the northern towns. They were initially distrustful of the foreign fighters flocking to the region, and efforts to split them away from the other factions could have dramatically changed the complexion of a war which is now shaping up to be extremely long and ugly, with little chance left for dialogue.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/us-weighs-military-support-for-frances-campaign-against-mali-militants/2013/01/15/a071db40-5f4d-11e2-b05a-605528f6b712_print.html
U.S. weighs military support for France’s campaign against Mali militants
By Anne Gearan, Karen DeYoung and Craig Whitlock,
The Obama administration is considering significant military backing for France’s drive against al-Qaeda-linked militants in Mali, but its support for a major ally could test U.S. legal boundaries and stretch counterterrorism resources in a murky new conflict.
The United States is already providing surveillance and other intelligence help to France and may soon offer military support such as transport or refueling planes, according to U.S. officials, who stressed that any assistance would stop short of sending American combat forces to the volatile West African nation.
At the same time, the administration is navigating a thicket of questions about military support and how far it could go in aiding the French without violating U.S. law or undermining policy objectives.
Direct military aid to Mali is forbidden under U.S. law because the weak rump government there seized power in a coup. U.S. moves are further complicated by uncertainty about which militants would be targeted in an assault.
The loosely affiliated web of Malian militants in the country’s north includes members of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM). But other fighters are longtime foes of the Malian government and pose no direct threat to U.S. interests.
“Our goal is to do what we can,” Defense Secretary Leon E. Panetta said Tuesday during a visit to Spain. “The fundamental objective is to ensure that AQIM — al-Qaeda — never establishes a base of operations in Mali or anywhere else.”
France launched fresh airstrikes in Mali on Tuesday and said it will triple the size of its combat force there. The punishing bombing campaign has failed to stop the militants’ advance, and the additional forces suggest preparation for a ground assault.
The Obama administration is wary of deepening its involvement in the conflict. But the United States shares French concern about the militants’ territorial gains. It is also eager to help a top ally with which it has worked closely on counterterrorism issues in Africa, a senior administration official said.
On all sides, the overriding fear is that the militants will create a terrorist haven in rugged northern Mali similar to the one that fighters secured in Afghanistan before the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
U.S. officials have said publicly that they are evaluating France’s requests for further assistance. But privately, they say that one of the critical requests relates to intelligence that could be used for targeting purposes, said the senior official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity about intelligence and diplomatic matters.
Evaluating the request involves “understanding what the French objectives are and really how they intend to go about them and against whom,” the official said.
The official was not specific about whether the surveillance being shared with France comes from drones or from satellites.
State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said: “They’ve asked for support with airlift. They’ve asked for support with aerial refueling. We are already providing information, and we are looking hard today at the airlift question, helping them transport forces from France and from the area into the theater, and also at the refueling question.”
The Pentagon has begun identifying transport and tanker planes that might be used, but U.S. officials cautioned that resources in the region are slim and that French requests have shifted.
“We’re not providing logistics support, whether airlift, refueling,” yet, the official said. “There is a little bit of a cold-start aspect there.”
Any additional U.S. help could go to French forces directly or to African backup forces, which are expected to begin arriving soon. The European Union said Tuesday that it will speed up a troop-training mission in Mali, which now is likely to be launched in the second half of February or in early March. The E.U. is not planning any direct combat role.
“We have limited assets in the region we can bring in for lift,” the U.S. official said. “Is it best for French troops, or should we be moving Nigerians or troops from Togo or Benin?”
The official said contingency plans for the use of armed drones were already in place and are being reevaluated. The official would not be more specific.
France, the former colonial power in Mali and neighboring Algeria, has led international efforts to confront the Islamist militants who exploited last year’s coup to co-opt a homegrown Malian ethnic conflict.
For months, French officials insisted that only African soldiers would fight. Despite early reservations, the United States backed French-led efforts to initiate an international military force backed by the United Nations. That force was to deploy later this year, but the militants have moved much faster.
“We have one objective,” French President Francois Hollande said Tuesday. “To make sure when we leave, when we end this intervention, there is security in Mali, legitimate leaders, an electoral process and the terrorists no longer threaten its territory.”
The French reinforcements will bring the total number of French troops in Mali from 800 to 2,500, according to the Associated Press.
In addition to possible logistical support, the United States wants France and its partners to lay out a strategic plan for Mali that goes beyond short-term military intervention.
The United States withdrew military support for Mali, once a promising democratic example in Africa, because of the coup. Embarrassingly for Washington, the coup leader had received military training in the United States, defense officials said.
The Obama administration is now working to hurry along the African force. Britain, Canada, Belgium, Denmark and perhaps Germany would help provide logistics for the African deployment, a French diplomat said.
The United States had always been expected to foot a large share of the bill for the African-led force, but it had hoped that the planned slow rollout of the force would allow time to attract more donors.
For now, the United States will redirect about $8 million in unused aid and will ask Congress for additional money, Nuland said.
Colum Lynch contributed from the United Nations to this report.
The United States had always been expected to foot a large share of the bill for the African-led force, but it had hoped that the planned slow rollout of the force would allow time to attract more donors.
For now, the United States will redirect about $8 million in unused aid and will ask Congress for additional money, Nuland said.
Colum Lynch contributed from the United Nations to this report.
| Key House Republicans Push for Bigger US Role in Mali War |
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