U.S. Green Berets Train Mali Troops

[Khephra]

TIMBUKTU, Mali -- U.S. Green Berets ran mock ambushes Wednesday in the sand dunes of central Mali, where Malian troops fired blanks at a pretend enemy -- and shouted "bang! bang!" when the blanks ran out.

The exercise is part of a months-long American effort to train troops in Mali and three other impoverished West African nations where Islamic militants linked to al-Qaida are alleged to have operated. The Associated Press was among the first media allowed to observe.

foes "could be anyone: bandits, smugglers, terrorists," said one U.S. special operations soldier, part of a U.S. force that began arriving in Mali in November.

The 200 American soldiers are in Mali under the State Department's Pan-Sahel Initiative, a $7 million program to help soldiers in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania boost battle skills amid the worldwide fight against terrorism

more............

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/wire/sns-ap-west-africa-terror,0,2924380.story?coll=sns-ap-world-headlines

[Robb]

1. I've got a friend in Mali w/the Peace Corps...

...and from what he's seen, "Bang! Bang!" is about what they'll be doing. Unless of course we're arming them as well. That always works out. :eyes:

[goforit]

2. Creating new terrorist along the way?

Fascinating!!!!

[eablair3]

3. there's got to be more to this story

"foes "could be anyone: bandits, smugglers, terrorists," said one U.S. special operations soldier, part of a U.S. force that began arriving in Mali in November.

The 200 American soldiers are in Mali under the State Department's Pan-Sahel Initiative, a $7 million program to help soldiers in Mali, Niger, Chad and Mauritania boost battle skills amid the worldwide fight against terrorism"

there's got to be more to this story, don't you think? What U.S. businesses or buinsess interests are at stake in Mali?