JAN 25, 2013 |
Two weeks ago, the French military launched Operation Serval, intervening in a complicated, months-old conflict in northern Mali. A year earlier, Tuareg rebels had attacked government positions throughout northern Mali, temporarily seizing control of a large area and declaring it a new state named Azawad. The rebels soon lost control though, displaced by several Islamist groups, including elements of Al Qaeda, intent on imposing Sharia law in the region and possibly establishing a base for terrorist activity. Those militant groups began pushing south recently, prompting a planned U.N. action, but France felt compelled to act sooner than anticipated, to prevent further damaging gains. More than 2,000 French troops are now involved in Mali, pursuing and attacking anti-government forces from the air and ground, with support from nine other western countries and several neighboring African nations.

Pic 1: French soldiers man a Sagaie armored vehicle at an observation post outside Sevare, on January 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Pic 2: French soldier checks a map with Malian soldiers as they conduct operations in the bush between Markala and Diabali, central Mali, on January 20, 2013

Pic 3: child looks at French soldiers filling up their tank at a local petrol station in Sevare, on January 25, 2013.

Pic 4: A man suspected of collaborating with Islamists is left bleeding after having been beaten, in the city of Diabaly, on January 22, 2013