To the ends of the earth

Who here knew that the US had military activity in Mali?

Gunmen fire on US plane

Bamako – Gunmen hit a United States military cargo plane flying food to Malian troops fighting rebels in the far north of the country, say officials. No one was injured in the attack and the plane, which had minor damage, landed safely.

US Major Pam Cook, a spokesperson for the American military command in Stuttgart, Germany, that covered Africa, said the C-130 plane was shot at late on Tuesday or early Wednesday over Tin-Zawatine, a desert village on Mali’s border with Algeria.

As previously posted, US military command for Africa “Africom” is actually based in Stuttgart.

The US had provided military training and support to Mali and other African nations for years as part of its counterterrorism campaign. Cook said the Malian troops were “pinned down” in Tin-Zawatine – but it was not clear if their movements were restricted by rebel fire or because the area was heavily mined.

She said the aircraft was struck by gunfire and suffered “minor damage”, but landed safely. It did not return fire.

According to a senior Malian military official, the gunmen used Kalashnikov automatic rifles during the attack, which he said occurred just after the plane finished its final food drop early Wednesday. Delivering food by land to the region was no longer safe because much of the area was mined, he said. Malian officials called the gunmen “armed bandits”, a phrase the government commonly used for Tuareg rebels active in the far north.

Though Mali was often called one of the most stable countries in West Africa, its northeastern desert region was the launching point for a 1990s Tuareg rebellion. Tuareg rebels rose up again last year, but signed a peace deal with the government in July 2006. However, one faction rejected the deal.

So why is the US helping out in this corner of the globe? In essence, Washington is concerned that al-Qaeda-linked terror groups could use northwest Africa’s lawless deserts, long used by smugglers, to train or plan attacks. US commanders say biggest terror threat in Africa outside the Horn of Africa is Algeria’s al Qaeda affiliate, which recently claimed “credit” for appalling bombing attacks. The US military has conducted training exercises routinely with the Malian military for years. Cook said the American aircraft was carrying about 6 000kg of food provided by the Malian government and the drop was completed before the attack.

On side note, I’ve always wanted to visit Mali, home of Timbuktu and breathtaking desert landscapes (check out this satellite photo taken from Nasa World Wind):