USAF support for French war detailed
Date 2013/2/5 16:51:07 | Topic: Mali
| A US defense spokesman details the US Air Force support for the French war in Mali.
"As of Sunday (February 3), US Air Force C-17s had completed 30 flights transporting approximately 610 personnel and 760 tons of equipment and supplies. This effort began on January 21," Major Rob Firman said late Monday.
"Since aerial refueling began January 27, the US Air Force has flown nine missions and offloaded 360,000 pounds of fuel to French aircraft," he added.
France launched its war in Mali on January 11 under the pretext of halting the advance of the fighters in the West African country.
On Monday, US Vice President Joe Biden appreciated the French President Francois Hollande's "decisive" decision to invade Mali and the "competence and capability" of French military forces.
After a meeting with Hollande in Paris, Biden said that Washington and Paris agreed on a need to hand over the war in Mali to a UN mission.
He said the US "stands with France and other partners in Mali" and "provides intelligence support, transportation for the French and African troops and refueling capability for French aircraft," there.
He added that the fight "may be far from America's borders, but it is fundamentally in America's interest."
Thousands of people in Mali have been forced to flee their homes amid the French war, which involved some 3,500 troops on the ground supported by warplanes, helicopters and armored vehicles.
Analysts believe behind the military campaign are Mali's untapped resources, including oil, gold, as well as the uranium in the region.
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