“God has bought from the believers their selves and their possessions against the gift of Paradise; they fight in the way of God; they kill, and are killed…” — Qur’an 9:111
“French-led forces seize Tessalit in northern Mali,” by Katarina Hoije for CNN, February 8 (thanks to Kenneth):
Bamako, Mali (CNN) — French-led forces battling Islamist rebels seized the town of Tessalit in northern Mali on Friday, France’s defense ministry said.
Following air strikes, special forces parachuted in to secure the airport, while an armored infantry regiment moved in on the ground, the ministry said. Chadian forces participated in the operation, which came the same day that a suicide bomber blew himself up at a checkpoint, the first known attack of its kind since the launch of the French-led offensive.
The attack by a teenager occurred in the city of Gao, authorities said. One Malian soldier was killed.
“The man approached the soldiers at the checkpoint on a motorbike. As soon as he got close, he set off the bomb,” said Capt. Oumar Maiga, a spokesman for the Mali army….
The monthlong French offensive has killed “hundreds” of Islamist fighters in Mali, the French defense minister said this week, as his troops prepared to start withdrawing….
Despite the withdrawal, troops will continue operations to flush out militants in “some terrorist havens” in northern Mali, French officials said.
You mean like in Afghanistan?
Islamic extremists carved out a large portion of the north last year after a chaotic military coup.
They banned music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television, and they destroyed historic tombs and shrines in the region. World leaders feared that the al Qaeda-linked militants would turn the area into a terrorist haven.
No kidding, really?