French Army Operation Serval Foreign forces make more advances in Mali

France sends more armoured vehicles in Mali to answer the strong resistance of Islamist rebels.

French troops’ initial clashes with Islamist militants in Mali have shown that the desert fighters are better trained and equipped than France had anticipated before last week’s military intervention, French and other U.N. diplomats said.

Why do they cover their faces? Also vehicle seems to be designed and made by infidels

The diplomats were speaking after French forces had their first encounters with Islamist fighters in recent days. The ground war appeared headed for escalation on Thursday as French troops surrounded the town of Diabaly, trapping rebels who had seized it three days ago.

French, Malian and African forces are facing off against an Islamist coalition that includes al Qaeda’s North African wing, AQIM, and the homegrown Ansar Dine and MUJWA militants. The motley mix of Tuareg rebels, Islamists and foreign jihadists has been united by the threat of foreign military intervention, which the Security Council called for last month.

Some of the militants are believed to have been trained and armed by the government of late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi, who was ousted and killed by rebels in a 2011 civil war.

French airstrikes target Mali Qaeda hub

 BAMAKO: The French air force on Sunday struck the northern Malian city of Gao, which had been controlled by the Al-Qaeda offshoot MUJAO, destroying Islamist bases and forcing the insurgents to flee, residents told AFP.

"There were dozens of strikes in and around Gao. All Islamist bases have been destroyed," a resident told AFP by phone. Another witness said all Islamist fighters had been forced to flee by the airstrikes.

French army starts military operations to support Mali troops countering Islamist rebels offensive

European military aircraft with weapons and soldiers on board arrives in Mali to fight Islamic militants/jihadis/rebels

Mali extremist and terrorist groups are advancing further into government-held territories after they captured the key nothern city of Konna on Thursday. Meanwhile Mali's President Dioncounda Traore has sent a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and a similar letter to French President Francois Hollande seeking assistance against the offensive.

According to witnesses cited by news agencies a military aircraft carrying weapons and foreign soldiers has arrived at an army base in Sevare in central Mali, not far from the captured town of Konna.

One witness at the airport reported seeing weapons and soldiers leaving a C-160 military transport aircraft.

The Malian defense ministry said it would hold a news conference on the situation on Friday.

One unnamed Malian official confirmed the arrival of the military aircraft and said the aircraft arrived from a European country.

On Thursday al Qaeda-linked rebels drove the Malian army out of the strategic northern town of Konna. It became a major setback to government forces trying to dislodge the Islamists from the northern territory of Mali which they captured in April 2012.

The UN Security Council held emergency talks on Mali on Thursday amid growing international concerns Islamist forces may use the country as a launch pad to stage attacks. The Council called on U.N. member states "to provide assistance to the Malian Defense and Security Forces in order to reduce the threat posed by terrorist organizations and associated groups."

After the meeting France's U.N. Ambassador Gerard Araud told reporters the groups who captured the city of Konna Thursday are now threatening the city of Mopti, which has 100,000 inhabitants. He also declined to say how his country would respond to Mali President's request, telling reporters a decision would be announced in Paris on Friday.

On December 22, 2012 the UN Security Council authorized an African-led force to support Malian forces in recovering the north but set no timeline for military action. Instead it set out benchmarks to be met before the start of offensive operations.

Mali was plunged into crisis by a March 2012 coup which allowed Tuareg rebels, who have long felt marginalized by Mali's government, to seize the north. But months later, the rebels were kicked out by Islamist groups allied with al-Qaida, which have imposed strict Shariah law throughout the north.