U.S., Allies Marshaling African Proxies For Fight Against Terrorism -- L.A. Times
"A quarrel in a far-away country between people of whom we know nothing."
That was how British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain saw the Nazi threat against the Czech Sudetenland in 1938, a sentiment freshly evoked among war-weary citizens as the United States and its allies ponder moves to oust Islamic extremists from northern Mali, a country most Americans couldn't find on a map.
U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton and diplomatic counterparts from France have been shopping around a plan to train and equip West African troops to drive out the Al Qaeda-aligned militants who hold sway over a swath of northern Mali the size of Texas. Ultraorthodox Muslims this year hijacked a long-simmering rebellion by ethnic Tuaregs and began imposing an extreme version of Islamic law once in power. In July, they took axes to "idolatrous" cultural treasures in Timbuktu, provoking worldwide horror at the destruction.
Read more ....
More News On U.S. And Allies Preparing For A Military Intervention In Mali
EU considers sending 200 troops to train Mali army -- Reuters
Europe’s Response to Mali Threat -- Wall Street Journal
Armed Intervention for Mali Being Finalized -- Voice of America
Experts meet on Mali army intervention -- News24
African leaders tout military mission in Mali -- Deutsche Welle
Africa-led force could be deployed in Mali within weeks -- The National
EU Weighs Options for Helping Mali -- Spiegel Online
EU may send troops to Mali for training -- iol News
Islamist rebels vow assault on Malian capital if international forces attack -- the Guardian
US, Algeria See Moderate Tuaregs as Key to Ending Mali Partition -- Voice of America