French warplanes on Monday pounded territories held by Islamist militants in the West African country of Mali whose former colonial rulers planned to expand the attack zones for effectively checking the advance of insurgents who control much of the country's north.
Claiming that the French military intervention in Mali is "developing favorably" and within expectations, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Islamists had retreated in the east but that French forces were facing a "difficult" situation against well-armed rebels in western areas.
He said the French military campaign that began on Friday on the request of Mali's government would be extended to the country's north to uproot terrorists. A senior leader of the militants is believed to have been killed in the fighting in the central region.
President Francois Hollande said France intervened in Mali to ensure its security, and claimed that its action was supported by the international community and the West African nations. Leaders of those countries are said to be concerned about an expansion of Islamic militant power. They are planning to meet this weekend to discuss deploying troops to Mali.
Hollande has ordered stepping up of France's internal security in the wake of extremists' threat to carry out attacks on French soil in revenge for the Mali military campaign and its botched attempt to rescue a French hostage from the captivity of al-Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgents in Somalia.
Hollande said on Sunday the rescue attempt triggered a fierce gun-battle between French commandos and the al-Shabaab militants who were holding Denis Allex, a French intelligence agent who was abducted by the insurgents in Somalia in July 2009. The operation failed "despite the sacrifice of two of our soldiers and probably the assassination of our hostage," he said.
But the al-Shabaab has since indicated that the hostage was not in the area at the time of the raid and is still alive. Nevertheless, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian had expressed doubts about the militant group's claim.
Incidentally, Islamist militants and Mali's Tuareg rebels captured most of the country's northern region in April 2012 amid the chaos triggered by a military coup. But their alliance quickly collapsed after the Islamists marginalized the Tuareg rebels and consolidated their positions in the north.
The main Islamist militant groups, namely the Ansar Dine, Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and the MUJAO, have established themselves in northern Mali and are enforcing 'Shariat' (Islamic laws) across the region. The internecine war has forced more than 400,000 people to flee northern Mali.
Last Thursday, the Ansar Dine took control of the central city of Konna after advancing further into the government-held territory in the south. Konna is strategically located between the rebel-held desert north and the government-controlled greener and more populated south.
Hollande's decision to sent troops to Mali, a former French colony, came after Malian President Dioncounda Traore requested the U.N. and France last week for assistance in countering the rebel advance. France responded to the request by stating that it was ready to help Mali militarily if the U.N. Security Council (UNSC) authorizes the mission.
by RTTNews Staff Writer
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