Intervention in Mali Begins With Airstrikes

As part of what it named Operation Serval, France conducted airstrikes Jan. 14 on al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb camps in northern Mali. While the French air force attacked targets in Mali's Gao, Kidal and Timbuktu regions, French ground forces, along with ground forces from neighboring West African countries, prepared to deploy to Mali.

The French-led intervention, which launched Jan. 11 in order to repel al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb's push into southern Mali, is the first stage of a multinational effort aimed at defeating jihadist forces and recovering territorial control for the central Malian government. Western countries including the United States and the United Kingdom have also provided logistical and intelligence assistance to support intervention forces.