France's 28-day-old intervention has largely driven the al-Qaida-linked rebels, who controlled northern Mali for 10 months and had threatened to advance on the capital, to the remote mountains of the far northeast, along the Algerian border.
But French-led forces continue to come under attack in reclaimed territory, and with fears of a prolonged insurgency, Paris is keen to hand over the military burden.
The French defence ministry said on Thursday that the intervention in its former colony has already cost France 70 million euros ($95 million), with the figure rising by 2.7 million euros per day.
French defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said the rebels had hit back at troops with rocket fire on Tuesday in Gao, the largest city in the north, and that patrols in reclaimed towns had encountered "residual jihadist groups who are still fighting".
Le Drian said on Tuesday the French-led operation had so far killed "several hundred" al-Qaida-linked militants.
"This is a real war with significant losses but I'm not going to get into an accounting exercise," he said when asked about the toll.
France's sole fatality so far has been a helicopter pilot killed at the start of the operation. Mali said 11 of its troops were killed and 60 wounded in early fighting but has not since released a new death toll.
A spokesman for one of the rebel groups, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), told AFP: "The combat isn't over. The attacks are going to continue."
In Gao, French-led forces have beefed up security to prevent rebels infiltrating the city, according to a Malian army source. An AFP journalist reported large patrols by French, Malian and Nigerien troops.
French helicopters have been patrolling the road between Gao and Douentza, 400 kilometres (250 miles) to the southwest along the road that leads to the capital, Bamako.
The area is littered with land mines and improvised explosive devices, according to security sources.
Two Malian soldiers were killed last week when their vehicle drove over a mine outside Douentza.
After announcing plans to start withdrawing its 4,000 troops from Mali in March, France called Wednesday for a United Nations peacekeeping force to take over.
Foreign minister Laurent Fabius said a peacekeeping force could be in place by April, incorporating troops being deployed under the banner of a West African intervention force, AFISMA, into a UN mission.
"This gives the advantage of being under the umbrella of the United Nations, under its financing," he said.
Anda sedang membaca artikel tentang
France seeks Mali exit, handover to UN peacekeepers
Dengan url
http://susucanglai.blogspot.com/2013/02/france-seeks-mali-exit-handover-to-un.html
Anda boleh menyebar luaskannya atau mengcopy paste-nya
France seeks Mali exit, handover to UN peacekeepers
namun jangan lupa untuk meletakkan link
France seeks Mali exit, handover to UN peacekeepers
sebagai sumbernya
0 komentar:
Posting Komentar