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Purveyor

(29,876 posts) Sun Jan 13, 2013, 12:25 PM Jan 2013

France Surprised By Mali Islamists' Fighting Strength [View all]

Source: BBC

France has expressed surprise at the fighting strength of Islamists in Mali, as Paris widened its bombing of militant targets.

A presidential official in Paris said the militants were "well-trained" and "well-armed", the AFP news agency says.

The Islamists had acquired up-to-date and sophisticated weaponry after the Libya conflict, the official added.

France said the rebels had significant" casualties, as it reportedly began bombing the eastern town of Gao.

Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-21002918

16 replies

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Highlight:

France Surprised By Mali Islamists' Fighting Strength [View all] Purveyor Jan 2013 OP

Who's running the show in Paris? Rumsfeld and Cheney?! pasto76 Jan 2013 #1

Blowback from Libya? redgreenandblue Jan 2013 #2

somebody is systematically doing this for a wider purpose samsingh Jan 2013 #3

Arm one group to fight another group. Then when the armed group gets to strong... redgreenandblue Jan 2013 #4

and its spreading an ideology samsingh Jan 2013 #6

Read "A Clean Break" (1996), US neocon plan for regime changes across MENA and the Levant. leveymg Jan 2013 #10

+1 Thanks for posting... eom Purveyor Jan 2013 #13

The history's not a surprise. Igel Jan 2013 #7

Because the Saudis and the other fundy Gulf states have PLENTY of money to fund the Islamists riderinthestorm Jan 2013 #5

Plus they get intelligence, training andpersonnel cosmicone Jan 2013 #15

Benghazi blowback. That didn't take long. To topple Asad, we strengthened AQ. Brilliant leveymg Jan 2013 #8

Yes, this is an unintended consequence of the Libyan intervention. Comrade Grumpy Jan 2013 #9

Chaos theory postlates that given uncertainty a ripple will become a hurricane half a world away. leveymg Jan 2013 #11

I could MAYBE see the Sarkozy government doing this FrodosPet Jan 2013 #12

Following a link from the article cited in the OP, I found this information and opinion which JDPriestly Jan 2013 #14

It took almost 2 decades for us to really feel the blow-back from getting involved in Afghanistan. Socal31 Jan 2013 #16