French armed forces news and stories by mail.com

French armed forces

Freedom returns to the storied city of Timbuktu
On the morning French commandos parachuted onto the sand just north of this storied city and ended 10 months of Islamic rule, Hawi Traore folded up ...
Timbuktu revels in new freedom but fears linger
A leaflet listing the regulations for women under Islamist rule now lies in dirt here at the tribunal in Timbuktu. Rule No. 1: The veil should cover ...
French capture Islamists' last major Malian town
French forces met no resistance Wednesday in Kidal, the Islamists' last major town, as the two-week-old mission scored another success in its effort ...
France takes key Mali cities; now the hard part
French-led forces have wrested control of three key cities in northern Mali from al-Qaida-linked militants, but the fighters have escaped with their ...
US eyes drone base in Africa with al-Qaida in mind
Plans to base unarmed American surveillance drones in the African nation of Niger highlight the Obama administration's growing concern about extremist ...
In recaptured city in Mali, Islamists hunted down
Residents in Mali's newly liberated city of Gao hunted down and beat suspected Islamist extremists who had not fled with their brothers-in-arms as ...
Mali military enters fabled town of Timbuktu
Backed by French helicopters and paratroopers, Malian soldiers entered the fabled city of Timbuktu on Monday after al-Qaida-linked militants who ruled ...
US official: Mali intervention 'could take years'
The French-led military intervention in Mali could take years, a U.S. official warned on Monday. A State Department official for Africa said the U.S.
French, Mali forces head toward Timbuktu
French and Malian forces pushed toward the fabled desert town of Timbuktu on Sunday, as the two-week-long French mission gathered momentum against the ...
US to support French in Mali with aerial refueling
The United States has decided to provide additional support to the French military in its war against Islamic militants in Mali by conducting aerial ...
Witness describes killings by Malian army
Malian soldiers killed people accused of ties to radical Islamists at a bus stop around the time the French-led military intervention began, a witness ...
US begins transporting French troops to Mali
Pentagon officials say the U.S. airlift of French forces to Bamako could continue for another two weeks. It's expected to take about 30 C-17 flights ...
French seize control of 2 key Mali towns
French troops in armored personnel carriers rolled through the streets of Diabaly on Monday, winning praise from residents of this besieged town after ...
Timeline of French-led Mali military intervention
A timeline of the French-led military intervention in Mali, which is now in its second week: Jan. 10 — Islamists push south and seize the central ...
French airstrikes jolt Islamists in Malian town
Backed by French air strikes, Malian forces appeared close to recapturing a key central town in Mali where bands of al-Qaida-linked fighters had holed ...
France says Africans need to take lead in Mali
France's foreign minister said Saturday that "our African friends need to take the lead" in a military intervention to oust extremists from power in ...
Africa forces' role in Mali faces diverse snags
West African nations that promised to send troops to fight al-Qaida in Mali are finding it's a lot trickier than they'd hoped to actually get boots ...
French encircle key Malian town of Diabaly
French troops encircled a key Malian town on Friday to stop radical Islamists from striking closer to the capital, a French official said. The move ...
EU approves military training mission to Mali
European officials had a message Thursday for French forces fighting on the front lines of the battle against Islamist extremists in the troubled ...
Somali militants say they killed French hostage
Somalia's most dangerous militant group said Thursday that it killed a French hostage that French military forces tried to rescue last weekend during ...
Its allies reluctant, France goes it alone in Mali
France's allies have offered vocal support for the country's military operation in Mali, but when it comes to sending troops or weapons, they are ...
Somali militants say they will kill French hostage
Somalia's al-Qaida-linked rebels said Wednesday that they will kill the French intelligence agent they hold hostage. The Islamist extremists said that ...
French triple troops in Mali, prepare for assault
After a punishing bombing campaign failed to halt the advance of al-Qaida-linked fighters, France pledged Tuesday to triple the size of its force in ...
France girds for new threats amid Mali operation
France's military campaign to stop advancing Islamist insurgents in Mali has been met with a volley of threats from the extremists, feeding fears that ...
France to send 2,500 troops to Mali, official says
An official at France's Defense Ministry says the country will "gradually deploy" a total of 2,500 troops to Mali, and the French president says the ...