Speaking to France 5 television today, French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian vowed that the invasion of Mali would not stop with any pockets of resistance left at all, saying the goal is nothing short of “the total reconquest of Mali.”
French warplanes continue to pound rebel-held towns in central Mali with an eye toward eventual ground offensives against those areas, while the reports are that rebels have begun to pull back from southern Mali positions captured in the last few weeks to more defensible positions in the nation’s center.
Whether or not the town of Diabaly, the southern-most rebel-held town, has been retaken is still a matter of dispute. Malian military officials have been claiming the town had been captured since Friday, but Le Drian insisted today that this still wasn’t the case, expressing only hopes that they would soon manage to do so.
French officials had originally expressed confidence that they would turn Mali into a flourishing, terror-free democracy with the war, and this was liable to happen in a matter of weeks. Since then they have repeatedly expressed surprise at the strength of rebel fighters, however, and they have not taken meaningful territory since invading last weekend.
Taking back their past colony even if is not about democracy nor the social democracy.., this is the Neo colonialism with Neo Fascism attitude wanting to breed a religious dictatorial system as French is eager to change the world…, to puppet regimes with connection to Neo European and american mafia. And you thought Sarkozi or Bush were the bed guy's.
And after that perhaps the French military will retake the Paris suburbs from the Islamists.
Why stop at Mali?
Go on, reconquer all your former colonies.
And don't forget Mars by the way.
"Surprised at the strength of the rebel fighters" There were plenty of stories on how tough and dedicated these Al Qaeda fighters are. I guess the French did not believe it until they had first hand experience. Well good. It is time the French took a few years to clean out one of these Islamic hell holes. Let the USA sit back and watch for a change.
Exercising caution, I canceled my planned trip to Quebec today.
They've forgotten what a bleeding ulcer the colonies had become.