Continued air-raids on strongholds of the extremists in several towns under their control.
Algeria opens its air space for attacking Islamists in northern Mali.
The above picture is showing a jet fighter of the French air force while being refuelled in the air.
[Source: Al-Arabiya on January 14, 2013]
Islamic warriors retreat from their traditional positions and [concentrate] in "Diyabali", northern Mali.
Algeria closes the border to Mali, and France "realizes its [military] aims".
Picture: State of alert for Algerian [border] guards at the border to northern Mali.
[Source: Al-Arabiya on January 15, 2013]
In recent years, Mali became more and more unstable while Al-Qaeda fighters and local rebels steadily gained influence. Kidnappings and beheadings of foreign citizens made Mali a no-go area for Western development and human aid staff. Furthermore, historic places in the ancient town of Timbouktou were destroyed by Islamists on several occasions, thus endangering the cultural inheritance of Mali.
The French intervention, based on France's responsibility as a former colonial power in West Africa, is being supported by members of the European Community: Belgium, Italy and Germany, the latter offering two Hercules planes as an additional air transport capacity. The U.S. are ready to provide logistic and intelligence support but refrain from sending troops to Mali because of its actual policy which forbids direct military support of any regime not based on democratic rules.
[Source: CNN and German media on January 15/16, 2013]
[Al-Jazeera on May 27, 2012]
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On Tuesday 15, French President François Hollande arrived in the United Arabic Emirates for negotiations on economic subjects and to discuss the question of the military intervention in Mali.
For five days, François Hollande has held numerous talks with Western and African [leaders] in order to mobilize the necessary means for a deployment of African forces in Mali. As Élysée [Palace] indicated, the French president needs to discuss with the Emirates' leaders [the amount of] help they could provide in the frame of the military intervention. In Abu Dhabi talks are expected with Cheikh Khalifa Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, the president of the federation of the United Arabic Emirates, and with Mohammad Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, the hereditary prince of Abu Dhabi. Later in the afternoon, he will meet with the vice-president and prime minister in Dubai, Cheikh Mohammad Ben Rached Al-Maktoum. Besides Mali, Syria and Iran will make part of the subjects treated.
[Source: L'Express magazine, Paris, on January 15, 2013]
Mali - West African states targeting Al-Qaeda
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On Sunday, January 14, Nigerian military has arrested a leader of the Islamist separatist movement Boko Haram that is responsible for deadly attacks targeting the Christian community as well as newspapers and government institutions in northern and central Nigeria.
[Source: BBC - Africa Service on January 14, 2013]
in Abuja and Kaduna [Source: Al-Jazeera on April 27, 2012]
Visitors from Nigeria to "blueprint news" on November 29, 2012:
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