Watch as it Develops - The Staged War Against Islamists in Northern Mali

Couldn't agree more with your rephrasing.

An English Language Story on Mali Army Killings...

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) said some people were killed simply because they did not have identity documents.

A Malian army officer was quoted as denying the allegations...

Reports suggesting that the mainly black African Malian army, drawn largely from the south, has targeted Arabs and ethnic Tuaregs from the north expose a racial aspect to the war here which has been hidden by the emphasis on western troops fighting a war against Islamist insurgents, the BBC's Mark Doyle in Mali says...

Other allegations of summary executions continue to come from all areas of the west and centre of the country”

FIDH said there needed to be an independent investigation into alleged abuses committed by Malian soldiers and those responsible should be punished.

In the garrison town of Sevare, at least seven people were executed at a military camp, near a bus station and a hospital, it said.

There was "credible information" pointing to 20 other executions in Sevare, with bodies "buried hastily, notably in wells", FIDH said.

Summary killings also took place in the towns of Mopti and Niono, the group added.

[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

Al-Qaeda Leader Denies Algeria Attack Plans

“We have made explicit threats against France, which sparked the clashes and killed our Muslim brothers in Mali. We will never consider launching military attacks against Algeria, as we believe Algerians are Muslims and we are well aware that they are not satisfied with their government’s performance,” the statement added.

In addition, the statement urged “all Muslims across the world to support Muslims in Mali, as this is their religious duty as Muslims. Those who refuse to perform such duty are traitors to their religion and homeland.” According to the statement, “France’s actions in Mali are unacceptable.”
The Egyptian al-Watan newspaper published a statement attributed to the leadership of the Egyptian Salafist jihadist movement, which threatened all nations helping France in its war on Mali. “A war will be waged against these nations, if they do not take necessary moves to stop their aggressive leaders.”...

The Egyptian Salafist leadership classified the nations that helped France in its attack on Mali according to the type of support each nation provided.
It said that Britain and Germany supplied France with aircraft and ammunition. The United Arab Emirates provided funds, while the US, Denmark, Belgium and Russia offered intelligence and logistical support. Algeria and Morocco opened their airspace to the attackers. Meanwhile Nigeria, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Chad, Niger, Ghana, the Malian Army and the National Movement for the Liberation of Azwad (MNLA) backed the attackers’ ground forces.


Read more: [link to www.al-monitor.com]

Ansar Dine resorts to Cross-Dressing to Escape French & Malian Forces

Malian security forces have arrested on Tuesday night suspected Islamist fighters who, disguised as women, tried to sneak out of Sévaré city center, reported Wednesday's special envoy local radio.

[link to translate.google.com]

Didn't they say the same thing about Osama Bin Laden?

Weapons and Training for Algeria attack came from Zintan, Libya

The arms used by militants who seized an Algerian gas plant in a deadly hostage-taking drama came from Libyan rebels...

"The first interrogations of the three terrorist captured by security services have revealed that rebels in Zintan (southwest Libya) were behind the sale of the arms used against the gas plant," said Echorouk...

The militants' chief, Algerian Mohamed Lamine Bencheneb, killed in the assault, negotiated the sale of Kalashnikov assault rifles for $500 each and rockets priced at $800, according to Echorouk...

"Logistical support was provided from Libya," said the source close to hardline Islamist groups in Libya, which has seen a rise in extremism since the fall of Kadhafi...

The Tunisian daily El Watan, meanwhile, reported that "the operation was organised and prepared in Libya. Only some elements came from northern Mali to reinforce the group."

[link to www.google.com]

Zintani militias guard the oil fields of Southern Libya. Zintan was a base of French special operations throughout the Libyan uprising. French media even reported that France was air-dropping weapons into Zintan during the uprising (which was contrary to niter national law)

So the weapons used for the attack in Amenas Algeria came from Zintan. ZIntan was trained & armed by the French...HMMM

[link to www.nytimes.com]

Can't provide link because its R**ters story - France orders it's special forces to protect Niger uranium

France has ordered special forces to protect uranium sites run by state-owned Areva in Niger as the threat of attacks on its interests rises after its intervention against rebels in Mali, a military source said on Thursday.

Areva has been mining uranium in Niger for more than five decades and provides much of the raw materials that power France's nuclear power industry, the source of 75 percent of the country's electricity.

Rami el Obeidi contacted Benghazi security forces & briefed them on UK intelligence report. No one from Tripoli had provided the warning to Benghazi officials.


[link to twitter.com (secure)]

[link to news.apsou.gr]

Is it still a conspiracy theory if Royal Institute Researcher Writes About it?

What is Qatar doing in Mali?

...The official story is that Qatar has been sending money to rebel-held areas for humanitarian aid purposes through charity organizations. But the French say that Qatar by extension is sponsoring rebels with links to Al Qaeda and radical Islamist beliefs who seek to topple Mali and use it as a launch pad for global jihad.

The truth is that no one knows just how deep Qatar’s links to these militias run. What is certain is that there are Islamic charities on the ground, alongside the Islamic Red Crescent, and Qatari money is supporting the work of these groups. We don’t know how much, and how long this has been going on.

But what could Qatar possibly be doing? As with all Qatari foreign adventures, the motivation behind the donations is not simple altruism, though the Qataris may well be moved to help Mali’s impoverished and food-insecure society. Bottom line: Like all countries, Qatar wants a return on its investments.

Qatar likes to back winners, and it views the Islamist movements in Mali as worthy of support because they are on the ascendancy and may play a significant future role in the governance of the nation.

The larger strategic question here is to what extent Qatar seeks to engineer a de facto division of the country into North and South Mali, of which the Northern half of the country (the desert region consisting of Timbuktu, Gao, and Kidal) would be ruled by a rebel/Islamist government deeply indebted to Qatar for its financial support and backing. Meanwhile, the ruling Western-backed government continues to hold the south.

This fits into Qatar’s long-term goal of increasing bilateral ties with Mali, allowing further expansion into the Sahel, with its numerous untapped hydrocarbon reserves and potential for ore deposits of various precious metals. All in all a good potential deal for a tiny Emirate lacking in anything other than natural gas....

Qatar’s primary motivations for supporting Islamists are to secure its own long-term business interests and increase its influence over rapidly changing events in the Muslim and Arab world. For a small country like Qatar, long-term survival is secured outside its borders, and for the considerable future the country has the money to ensure that this can be done.

Read more: [link to dohanews.co]

Same Vein - Qatar Leaks the Business of Foreign Affairs

Al-Akhbar publishes leaked minutes from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs that have Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi discussing regional affairs – from Russia’s involvement in Syria to Gaddafi’s fall – with Qatari officials...

Today, Al-Akhbar begins publishing these documents, starting with three correspondences from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs...

The first one is the minutes of a meeting between Qatari Prime Minister Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani and Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi that took place in September 2012, in which they discussed the situation in Syria.

In it, the Qatari prime minister talks of contacting Russia to convince it of abandoning Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, offering guarantees from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) that Moscow’s naval base can remain in Syria.

The document also reveals that what Qatar offered Egypt in terms of financial assistance after the revolution is little more than loans with interest in return for giving the Qataris incentives such as investing in Egypt’s steel industry.

The second document is the minutes of a meeting between Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim and Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu. The meeting took place in mid-March 2011 during the early stages of battle in Libya and the discussion revolves mainly about the situation on the ground there.

As for the third document, it also contains minutes of a meeting, this time between the Qatari Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and foreign minister Davutoğlu.

In it, the foreign minister stresses the importance of not allowing Assad to complete his term in office, which ends in 2014, because he will use it to defeat the opposition....

[link to ow.ly]

bump.

That's interesting if true.

Mali's Ansar Dine rebel group has split — and the new faction wants to begin peace talks.

In a statement to Radio France Internationale, the splinter group announced that it was called the Islamic Movement for Azawad (MIA) and would be led by a former senior figure in Ansar Dine, Alghabass Ag Intallah.

[link to www.globalpost.com]

Worst Reporting Ever - French Airstrikes have killed all the Islamists in Mali and Destroyed all their Weapons

At least according to the testimonials of people Diabaly invaded by jihadists Monday, January 14. Supported by the French air and ground forces, the Malian army has killed the terrorists who had attacked the city and destroyed their Diabaly heavily equipped vehicles....

God bless the Malian military and white! , "She said. In the streets of Diabaly, there were six charred vehicles equipped jihadists who ransacked the church and everything was there. In addition, many people have testified that there was not a single loss of life on the side of the people. "Upon entering the city, the Islamists killed one person called Cheickné Konaté. The rebels believed Cheickné was a soldier. Apart from him, Diabaly recorded no loss of life, "they said. The military side, we talk about three deaths. We found a strong presence of French and Malian soldiers in the area and most importantly, control copy and worthy of a country at war. As we dare to believe that victory is now Mali and some even imminent.

[link to translate.google.com]

You won’t find it on the net but Qatar stocked up on Mercs about 18 months ago, they picked up everyone they could and so far no end to the contracts, about to go on their third renewal.

I think this guy is CNN reporter -

Richard Galpin (@Richardgalpin)
1/24/13, 1:45 PM
Sources in #Libya indicating warning that people from #Britain in #Benghazi should leave asap is linked to threats re French troops in #Mali

Dunno how credible this guy is but i'll post it anyways. Some connection to Ansar Dine splitting up maybe?


Leader of Ansar Dine, Ahmadou Abdallah Ag arrested in Mauritania
[link to translate.googleusercontent.com]

NY Times article on Ansar Dine Split (discussed in earlier IFUN post)

SÉGOU, Mali — Ansar Dine, one of the main Islamic militant groups fighting to control Mali, split in two Thursday when one of its leaders said in a statement published by Radio France International that he would form his own group to seek negotiations to settle the country’s crisis.

The new group, which calls itself the Islamic Movement for the Azawad and is led by Alghabass Ag Intalla, a prominent leader of the Tuareg ethnic group, becomes at least the sixth group to be fighting in an increasingly complex battle to control northern Mali...

Mr. Intalla was described on the French radio station as the heir to the traditional ruler of the remote and sparsely populated Kidal region in the northeast of the country.

He was said to have been among Tuareg representatives who met with Malian diplomats in Ouagadougou, the capital of neighboring Burkina Faso, late last year. The talks were an attempt to resolve long-standing Tuareg complaints and lure them away from Islamists from other countries, notably Algeria, who are operating in northern Mali...

[link to www.nytimes.com]

note - The Ifoghas are a tribe but they are also the aristocracy of Malian Tuaregs. The leadership of MNLA & Ansar Dine are all Ifoghas. It appears that the highest of the highest Tuareg caste is walking out on Ag Ghaly and Ansar Dine...

The overall leader of Ansar Dine is Ag Ghaly (which has many different spellings) - so this guy must be leaders of an Ansar Dine subgroup or cell - Haven't heard of him - but that doesn't mean he's not important...

Big Picture - Ansar Dine is the Tuareg Islamist group - if they can take them out then it's truly French & Malian army against outsiders (mostly Algerian) and local drug dealers & smugglers...It basically keeps this from being a race war (though the actions of Malian army are turning it into race war anyway)...

Haven't heard him too. One cell will probably continue to fight, but we're mainly stuck fighting with our beloved AQ groups. Oh the irony, talking about a hijack.

Rebels leave Timbuktu a 'ghost town'

RADICAL Islamists have left Timbuktu in northern Mali, turning it into a ‘‘ghost town’’ with no electricity or drinking water for three days, residents and officials say...

A regional security source said the Islamists were ‘‘regrouping in the region of Kidal’’, in Mali’s far north-east.

The Islamists kept the electricity and water running with generators but their departure left a vacuum, especially as their fuel stocks had been destroyed in French air raids.

French planes on Sunday night bombed a major base of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) near Timbuktu, destroying a mansion belonging to Libya’s slain dictator Muammar Gaddafi which was being used by Islamist radicals as their headquarters.

Read more: [link to www.smh.com.au]

Mali conflict: Malian Army probes summary executions claim

The Malian army says it is investigating allegations that soldiers have carried out summary executions in the Islamist-controlled north.

A senior military officer told the BBC it was neither confirming nor denying such acts had taken place.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has accused Malian troops of killing Arabs and ethnic Tuaregs.

Can't wait to see this report...Think they'll call it - We kill the sorta white people?

[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

hey congratulations

i remember you warning everybody here all about mali like 5 or 6 months ago

Why Locals Don't Like the Islamists - The Banned Cigarettes while they Snorted Cocaine...

The townspeople’s response will pose a serious problem for the rebels if it’s replicated elsewhere. Fighting an insurgency against a more powerful force is hard, but it’s even harder without local complicity.

Part of the town’s disgust stemmed from the intruders’ behavior, and one trait in particular: Many of the outsiders, some of whom belonged to the regional al Qaida group and quickly banned cigarettes in the town, apparently were druggies.

Doumbia and one other Diabaly resident reported watching the rebels regularly taking cocaine. A third resident reported seeing emptied, white-coated bags lying around and said everyone knew what was inside them.

"We saw them sniffing it, smoking it. Some were injecting it," Doumbia said.

A bag of white powder was flung outside the gate of a friend’s house after one bombing raid, the contents equal to half a kilogram of sugar. Doumbia sent a child to fetch it and confirm its contents, he said, but it was already gone.

Experts say the Sahara desert in West Africa, with its loose borders and weak governments, is rapidly becoming one of the prime cocaine-trafficking routes in the world. Its lucrative windfall is thought to help finance the Islamist rebels, and a legion of fighters dependent on the drug might make finally squelching the insurgency even more difficult.

[link to m.mcclatchydc.com]

Transcript of AQAP Statement "The Crusader French War in Mali"

On January 24, 2013, Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) in Yemen issued an official video response to the ongoing French military invention in Mali.

Here's is English language transcript -

[link to flashpoint-intel.com (secure)]

Foreign Intervention in Mali is Libya in Reverse

[link to www.usnews.com]

Another Executive Confirmed Killed in Amenas, Algeria

It has just been confirmed that a 3rd executive was killed in Amenas. A BP VP & two Japanese executives were killed. Japanese media sources are reporting that there was a high-level executive meeting at Amenas and that the executives were the targets of the attack.

[link to mainichi.jp]

Malian Army Pushes Towards MUJWA-held GAO

Mali's military and French forces have pushed toward the Islamic extremist stronghold in the city of Gao, in their farthest push east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said Friday.

The soldiers were seen in the town of Hombori, according to residents, who said they stayed several hours in the area before heading back westward.

[link to www.chron.com]

Militants have dynamited a strategic bridge near the Niger border on the road to Gao, one of the main towns in northern Mali occupied by extremists, sources said Friday.

“The Islamists dynamited the Tassiga bridge. No one can pass to Niger or come to Gao,” said the owner of a transport business, Abdou Maiga.
[link to dawn.com]

Malian and French troops have retaken the town of Hombori, officials say, as they continue their campaign to regain control of northern Mali from rebels. Hombori lies about 160km (100 miles) from the Islamist stronghold of Gao. Earlier, French warplanes reportedly bombed rebel positions, fuel stores and ammunition dumps near Gao.
[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

A surveillance aircraft from RAF Waddington has been sent to Mali to support France's military action there, the Ministry of Defence said.
[link to www.bbc.co.uk]

G4S, the world's biggest security firm, is seeing a pick up in demand for its services from embassies and companies across Africa in the wake of unrest in Mali and Algeria.
[link to news.yahoo.com]

Japan closes Mali embassy as security fears rise
[link to sg.news.yahoo.com]