France Formally Requests US Military Aid for Mali Invasion
Joint Chiefs Chair Declares Northern Mali a Threat to the World
According to Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Gen. Martin Dempsey, the French government has formally asked the United States for military aid for its invasion of Mali, saying that the aid will conclude planning, logistics and air support, but not combat troops.
France invaded on Saturday, and initially said they believed they would turn Mali into a “terror-free” democracy within a matter of weeks. Since then they have expressed surprise at the strength of rebel fighters, however.
The Mali invasion was initially scheduled for Autumn by the UN Security Council, and many nations have been reluctant to send anything but token support in the wake of the unexpectedly early French attack.
Though officials have questioned the merits of US involvement, arguing the northern Malian desert poses little threat as it is and could become a magnet for terrorists if the US gets too heavily involved, Dempsey took a completely different view, insisting Mali is already a threat to the region and would soon be a threat to the entire planet, US involvement notwithstanding.
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JLS
January 18th, 2013 at 9:38 pm
Well, that didn't take long.
mojo
January 18th, 2013 at 10:45 pm
They need to share the costs then the profit.., that's how the vulture capitalism works.., if is a country or whatever that's how they work. Vultur-ism is the nature of capitalism. Falsified democracy is the system feeding the vultures.
klyde
January 19th, 2013 at 4:34 am
Hollande the new gendarmerie of Afrique Frncophone. DeGaulle would be so proud of you.
JoaoAlfaiate
January 19th, 2013 at 5:26 am
Gee, I sure hope the French are better at running Mali than they are at running France.
The Threeof Spades
January 19th, 2013 at 6:19 am
France formally asks for help!? Yeh, right.
I wonder how long it took for the US to say "All right, you talked us into it?"
I bet it took less time than to get a hamburger at an ever deteriorating service at MacDonald's.
skulz fontaine
January 19th, 2013 at 6:34 am
Send in the clowns! Help us help us, cry the Frogs. Yes, being rude seems perfectly acceptable in light of French 'intervention/war criminality'. So Mali turns out, isn't haute cuisine and the Frogs are in way over their heads. The Frogs should have used their heads for something other than a spot to plant a helmet on.
The "global war of terror" grinds on and on and on…
conumishu
January 19th, 2013 at 8:32 am
Thanks to brave France who had the audacity to attack ahead the schedule the terrible AQIM troops won't be marching trough Washington streets next fall. Vive la France, now go and help them boys and girls!
conumishu
January 19th, 2013 at 8:32 am
Thanks to brave France who had the audacity to attack ahead the schedule the terrible AQIM troops won't be marching on Washington streets next fall. Vive la France, now go and help them boys and girls!
conumishu
January 19th, 2013 at 8:37 am
No, De Gaulle had brains, ended the overt, unsustainable empire, ended the Algerian war, managed to start the independence wave while also securing French interests. The Sarkollands are a bad joke. Even Chirac and Mitterrand towered over such…. minables.
persnipoles
January 19th, 2013 at 10:59 am
..maybe, if they were honest, they would just up and say "AQ"IM is a "threat to Our Precious Bodily Fluids." http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1KvgtEnABY
Doug_in_Indiana
January 19th, 2013 at 11:56 am
Absolutely Persnipoles – This is just like Iraq in 2003, and the poor people of this country need some Western dancing girls, say Hillary, Susie and Vicki, to take in candy and flower petals that can be strewn in the Legionnaires' path. These beauties will also suck the essence from the AQIM leadership simply by their presence. This could even be a bi-partisan effort if Condi could be coaxed back into public service to help. This is the only way that the minor Iraq problems experienced by the liberators there can be avoided here. The terrists cannot be allowed to believe that the locals are on their side, even if they are the locals.
deleted8754929
January 19th, 2013 at 2:05 pm
And there's the money shot, folks- as if this wasn't planned already?
johnturmel
January 19th, 2013 at 2:40 pm
Jct: And then France will formally request military aid from Canada with Stephen "Butcher of Libya" chomping at the blood-soaked bit.
davidgrayling
January 19th, 2013 at 3:56 pm
The greatest threat to the planet is the USA.
How come most of the world can't see this? It's not that the U.S. hides its agenda, is it?
paulBass
January 19th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
plenty of sand to make sure all of the high tech toys will break down regularly, the contractors are on board.
and its not like the Sahara desert is crawling with journalist ready to contradict official reports.
so hey why not?
paulBass
January 19th, 2013 at 6:59 pm
plenty of sand to make sure all of the high tech toy will break down regularly, the contractors are on board.
and its not like the Sahara desert is crawling with journalist ready to contradict official reports.
so hey why not?
jagsfanugh
January 19th, 2013 at 7:30 pm
The USA can't afford to get involved. Oh wait, they probably secretly asked France to make it public while the rest of Europe is reportedly meh towards this.