France 'ready' for Mali military intervention

[UnrepentantLiberal]

Source: Al Jazeera



President Francois Hollande has said France is ready to intervene to stop al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Mali who have been moving toward the capital, Bamako.

The forceful yet ambiguous announcement by the leader of France, the former colonial overseer in West Africa, came on Friday after Mali's interim president Dioncounda Traore had appealed for French help in stopping the rebels' advance.

The Malian army is already being backed by foreign military personnel in a fresh counter-offensive against Islamists, a Mali government official told the AFP news agency.

"European military, including French, are present in Mali to repel any southward advance by the Islamists," the official told AFP on Friday. "We will not reveal their number, nor where they are based, nor what equipment they have.

Read more: http://aje.me/TOQDAX

[dixiegrrrrl]

1. I am confused...

Is the Mali government fighting
*militants
or
*Al-Quada
or
*rebels
or
*Islamists

didja notice that instead of the usual stories which give ONLY one name to a group, there are THREE names in this short piece.

Same with the too frequent reports of drone killings..sometimes different names are used in different stories about the same drone strike.
and amazingly, any group in opposition to the ruler in power is usually identified as "Al-Quada" related.
As in now, apparently, most of Africa and the Middle East.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

4. They used to be communists.

[dipsydoodle]

5. Its also fighting its own people in general.

All of their farms were effectively nationalised and turned over to sugar production run by an outfit based in FL. The sugar is for export as ethanol. There was mandatory stripping of all trees from the land involved including those used by women for what was their main occupation - making shea butter.

[muriel_volestrangler]

6. Maybe Al Jazeera's use of English is too advanced for you?

Anyone "al-Qaeda-linked" is also an Islamist. If they are armed, they are "militants". If they are fighting against the central government, they are "rebels". So all descriptions are appropriate.

Clear enough? Or would you like Al Jazeera to dumb down their reporting a bit, for you?

If you think Al Jazeera is lying to you about the rebels being linked to Al Qaeda, then whom do you trust to report the situation in Mali? Are you saying all the reports of Islamists enforcing sharia law are fabricated, for instance? http://www.hrw.org/news/2012/09/25/mali-islamist-armed-groups-spread-fear-north

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. Oh dear...it does appear my attempt at satire needs this, for you:

I see some folks down thread got it, tho.

[muriel_volestrangler]

10. So you are OK with identifying the Malian rebels as al Qaeda related, then?

I still can't get your point about which you're being sarcastic. Is it, then, that there are other countries in which groups are being falsely identified as al Qaeda related by the media, and you're pissed off that you can't tell the difference between that and this report, that you do believe?

[On the Road]

11. Are the Terms Mutually Exclusive?

The rebels identify themselves with Al Qaida. They have taken over the whole northern part of the country, introduced Islamic law, and destroyed a World Heritage sites in Timbuktu in the same spirit the Bamiyam Buddhas were destroyed.

A lot of rebel groups in Africa are not referred to as Islamicist. This one is.

[malthaussen]

2. South America too, Dixiegrrrrl.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x3864835

http://www.democraticunderground.com/11087734

Again and again, I flash back to the old Doonesbury cartoon "Begin Operation Frequent Manhood!"

-- Mal

[UnrepentantLiberal]

3. I like that.

"Begin Operation Frequent Manhood!"

[dixiegrrrrl]

9. Begin Operation Frequent Manhood!

yep.. thanks for the reminder. Good ole Trudeau. Always deeply insightful.

[Comrade Grumpy]

7. The white man's burden is weighing heavily on Hollande.

[hedgehog]

12. This story fails to tell us exactly what mineral reserves the French are after.