French invasion forces took the central Mali city of Gao, as well as the town of Konna, though Konna appears to have been virtually destroyed in their bombardment, with many civilians killed. Forces are now setting their sights on the ancient Mali imperial capital of Timbuktu.
French officials expressed confidence that their offensive was progressing well, though officials conceded that it might be several days before the city actually falls under their attack.
The French strategy in Konna was to bomb every building of any serious size and to attack any vehicles that attempted to flee the town, assuming they must be rebels. That holds concerns not just for Timbuktu’s civilian population, much of which fled before the French invasion began, but for the ancient city’s archaeological treasures.
“Whenever you see military intervention things are bound to get destroyed,” noted the director of the Timbuktu Manuscripts Project, an attempt to save irreplaceable documents in the city.
The Islamist rebels had damaged certain of the ancient buildings in Timbuktu, particularly those associated with pre-Islamic religious worship in the region. This could look like small potatoes, however, when French warplanes get done with the city.
Seems like ~'striking Timbuktu' should stand by itself as a joke… Like something you might hear from a John Kleese character… …but it doesn't quite work by itself when it's 'real' …
Seems like ~'striking Timbuktu' should stand by itself as a joke… Like something you might hear from a John Kleese character… …but it doesn't quite work by itself when it's 'real' …
Such success stories just cover reality. See how brutal the French re-colonisation of Africa is:
This is How France maintains 14 African countries Under slavery (Italian with English subtitles)
Such success stories just cover reality. See how brutal the French re-colonisation of Africa is:
This is How France maintains 14 African countries Under slavery (Italian with English subtitles)
Yes Virginia, your government really is spending billions of your tax dollars on a war for Timbucktu.
I wonder why Mali hasn't become a magnet for Jihadists the way Syria has. Rather than going to Damascus and Aleppo like a bunch of zombies believing western propaganda that Assad is an Israeli puppet, they should head toward Africa and teach the frogs a few lessons.