French Air Force fighters aircraft Rafale destroyed Malian rebels targets northeastern Mali 1301136

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French Armed Forces Operation Serval in Mali

 
 
Sunday, January 13, 2013, 02:54 PM
 
French Air Force fighters aircraft Rafale destroyed Malian rebels targets in northeastern Mali.
French Rafale fighters destroyed multiple targets in northeastern Mali near Gao January 13, 2013, striking rebel-held training camps and logistics depots. Four Dassault-built multirole combat aircraft took off from Saint-Dizier in northeastern France Sunday to reinforce French support for Malian forces fighting an advance by Islamist separatists on the central town of Konna.
     
French Rafale fighters destroyed multiple targets in northeastern Mali near Gao January 13, 2013, striking rebel-held training camps and logistics depots. Four Dassault-built multirole combat aircraft took off from Saint-Dizier in northeastern France Sunday to reinforce French support for Malian forces fighting an advance by Islamist separatists on the central town of Konna.
French Rafale fighter of French Air Force preparing for mission to Mali at Saint Dizier military base in France on Jan. 12, 2013
     

"The aim of France is to lead a relentless struggle against terrorist groups, preventing any new offensive of these groups to the south of Mali, threatening the stability of this friendly country and reducing their capacity wherever it is needed," the French defense ministry said in a Jan. 13 statement, adding that military action in the region will continue as necessary.

The French air force on Sunday, January 13, 2013, extended strike further north to Gao, one of the three major towns controlled by rebels in northern Mali, according to reports from local residents and official sources in Paris. The French Defense Ministry confirmed the airstrike by four Rafale fighter jets, after witnesses reported bombardment of rebel positions around Gao.