Al-Qaida taking over Mali

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by kraznyi_oktjabr

Hooray France!

Have they surrendered yet??

[TarJak]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Have they surrendered yet??

They are waiting for the cheese to ripen

[Herr-Berbunch]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Have they surrendered yet??

With their current associates at least they won't suffer from any blue-on-blue incidents.

[kraznyi_oktjabr]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Have they surrendered yet??

Just in case Tribesman is in your block list...

Mali's army took back a key town from Islamist rebels Saturday aided by French air power, opening a dramatic new phase in the conflict that France's leader declared is a battle against terrorism.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/mali-attack...145745060.html

Here, guys, I brought some nails and a few hammers. There's a great oak right there on the side of the road that anyone so inclined can nail themselves on while waiting for the proper cross to arrive. Help yourselves, no need to thank me.

Lets see if Soopa can hit home the final nail on his UN manpower claim.

(A)India~8000 Pakistan~8000

(B)Cameroon~100 Burundi~100

Place each of the following countries in the correct group
USA
Bangladesh.

[_dgn_]

Originally Posted by BossMark

Have they surrendered yet??

Who ? Cornwallis and his British troops ?

[August]

We shouldn't tease the French. They were the first nation to stand by us and without them we probably wouldn't have won our independence.

[Bilge_Rat]

I am not surprised France is intervening in Mali. You look at the past 50 years and you see that even though France left its North/West Africa colonies, it still intervenes regularly to kick ass/protect french interests. France considers West/North Africa to be in its sphere of inerest.

- 1964, Gabon: French forces intervene to restore president after coup.

- 1968-1972, Chad: French troops intervene to put down northern rebellion.

- 1978-80, Chad: French forces defend government against rebels.

- 1978, Zaire: French and Belgian paratroops drop into the mineral-rich Katanga region of Zaire (today known as the Democratic Republic of Congo), where rebels are holding Europeans.

- 1979, Central African Republic: French forces depose the eccentric Central African "emperor" Jean-Bedel Bokassa.

- 1983-84, Chad: New French intervention in Chad, where the government is threatened by rebels backed by Colonel Moamer Kadhafi's Libya.

- 1986, Chad: Further operation against Chadian rebels; mainly using aviation.

- 1986, Togo: French reinforcements sent after coup attempt, which fails.

- 1989, Comoros: French forces go in when president is assassinated and mercenaries headed by Bob Denard, also French, take power.

- 1990, Gabon: French troops support the regime of president Omar Bongo; evacuate foreign nationals from cities hit by rioting.

- 1990-1993, Rwanda: French soldiers help evacuate French and other Europeans after rebels invade the country.

- 1991, Zaire: French troops deploy capital Kinshasa during riots against the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko.

- 1992-94, Somalia: France intervenes alongside the US-led "Restore Hope" operation in Somalia.

- 1994: Rwanda: Two separate French interventions follow the death in a plane crash of Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, which sparks genocidal killings that leave some 800,000 people dead.

France's "Operation Turquoise", which also involves troops in neighbouring Zaire, is later considered a disaster, and the Rwandan authorities accuse it of not only failing to stop the massacres but also of facilitating them.

- 1995: Comoros: New French intervention to halt a coup, again led by the French mercenary Bob Denard.

- 1996-7: Central African Republic: Two French interventions to maintain order after munities among the local military.

- 1997: Republic of Congo: French troops intervene during civil war; help evacuate foreigners.

- 1996: Cameroon: France provides military assistance to Cameroon, which is involved in a dispute with Nigeria over an oil-rich border area.

- 1998: Democratic Republic of Congo (formerly Zaire): Intervention to evacuate foreigners from Kinshasa during unrest following the overthrow of the Mobutu regime by Laurent-Desire Kabila.

- 2002-present: Ivory Coast: French mount "Operation Licorne" after a military rebellion effectively cuts Ivory Coast in two. In 2004 they destroy Ivory Coast's small air force after government forces bomb a French base.

- 2003: Democratic Republic of Congo: France provides most of the forces for a UN operation to protect civilians in the northeastern Ituri region of the DRC.

- 2008: Chad: New French intervention to bolster regime and evacuate foreigners during attacks by rebels from neighbouring Sudan.

- 2011: Libya: France takes the lead in bombing campaign against Libya, after the United Nations authorises action to protect civilians during a civil war.

- 2011: Ivory Coast: French forces of the "Licorne" operation act alongside UN forces during the civil war sparked by Laurent Gbagbo's refusal to leave power after losing an election. -AFP

http://www.thenewage.co.za/15519-102...y_intervention

A lot of people think France is not aggressive, which is not true. Its just that it does not fight according to US, UN or anyone else's agenda. It fights when it suits their economic/political interest, which is why, they are all over the place in Africa, but total wallflowers in the rest of the world.

Most likely the ground troops are from the French Foreign Legion. Can anyone confirm this?

Originally Posted by August

Key word there: "together". All too often it's us and GB doing all the heavy lifting and the rest of the world confining themselves to token contributions (if that) and lots of Monday morning quarterbacking.

Wow...

It fights when it suits their economic/political interest, which is why, they are all over the place in Africa, but total wallflowers in the rest of the world.

How can you miss all their adventures in other parts of the world?

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by Tribesman

How can you miss all their adventures in other parts of the world?

Yes raising their arms up in other parts of the world

Yes raising their arms up in other parts of the world

Considering that Britain surrendered all its territory in mainland France that is quite funny

[Skybird]

I read a bit about the background of this.

Northern Mali holds the uranium mines which get exploited by the French to win the uranium they use for their nuclear weapons.

A French community lives in Mali, but a far greater Mal community lives in France. If Northern Mali falls to real Islam, it is to be feared that more troublemakers will move from there to France.

Hollande is under pressure in France and has become unpopular in record time. He needs to distract the attention a bit that so far has been focussed on him exclusively.

The Mali military is extremely weak in fighting power, unorganized, haunted by high levels of deserting and corrupt officers, and generally is in a hopeless and desolate condition, any air-based capacity is practically non-existent.

My conclusion: it is not only a mission of altruism and noblesse, but also a mission of very egoist motives. Therefore: I am against military assistance for the French in Mali, but boosted efforts for intel surveillance and intense cooperation with French intel service to learn early about any trafficking of militants and hate preachers from Mali to France and Europe, so that the French can take them out.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by _dgn_

Who ? Cornwallis and his British troops ?

I'm glad your smiling because I love a bit banter so I'll raise you with this oldie

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane.

At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the Immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready."

The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The elderly gentleman gave the French Immigration Officer a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained;

"Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any flippin Frenchmen to show it to."

[BossMark]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

I'm glad your smiling because I love a bit banter so I'll raise you with this oldie

An elderly British gentleman of 83 arrived in Paris by plane.

At the French immigration desk, the man took a few minutes to locate his passport in his carry-on bag.

"You have been to France before, Monsieur?" the Immigration officer asked, sarcastically.

The elderly gentleman admitted he had been to France previously.

"Then you should know well enough to have your passport ready."

The British gentleman says, "The last time I was here, I didn't have to show it."

"Impossible. The British always have to show their passports on arrival in France!"

The elderly gentleman gave the French Immigration Officer a long hard look.

Then he quietly explained;

"Well, the last time I was here, I came ashore on Juno Beach on D-Day in June 1944, and I couldn't find any flippin Frenchmen to show it to."

An absolute classic