As part of an
international intervention to free the west African country from
al-Qaeda-backed insurgents, France is planning to send drones into Mali. Al-Qaeda-backed insurgents control large swaths of its territory,
according to reports.
Moving the
surveillance drones to this region is part of plans with the US, According to a french defense official, the fears is that, if left unchecked, the crisis could serve as a
launch pad for terrorist attacks on its own soil.
Official said France and the US were discussing plans for drones, security
and intelligence-gathering in the Sahel region, .
The German Chancellor, Angela Merkel showed and offered her support by saying that, Germany would be willing to
train Malian forces and would consider providing ''material and
logistical support''.
A diplomatic source said the international consensus on the
need for a concerted action was unprecedented: ''It is no secret that
there is military planning going on. The EU is conducting a scoping
mission and looking to send a training team to help train the Malian
army. But the French are the nation with the most experience working [in
Mali], and they see the terrorism threat more acutely than others.''
News of the intervention comes after the UN Security Council
passed a resolution this month giving the Malian government and
regional bloc, the Economic Community Of West African States, 45 days
to formulate a plan for military action.
A bloc source said Niger, Burkina Faso and Togo had
agreed to contribute to a force to reclaim the north of the country from
insurgents who seized power in a coup in March.
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