WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States offers decided to take flight tankers to be able to refuel French jet fighters and bombers assaulted al Qaeda-affiliated militants who seem to possess founded a new foothold with northern Mali, U.S. defense officials mentioned on Saturday.
The decision, reacting in order to a youthful French request, grows U.S. involvement, that up to now has been limited that will sharing brains along with delivering airlift help support to transport a French mechanical infantry device to Mali.
Defense Secretary Leon Panetta instructed his French counterpart, Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, around the U.S. determination that will provide aerial refueling assist within a telephone call on Saturday, Pentagon spokesman George Little claimed from a statement.
France intervened militarily within Mali a couple of many days back that will halt the advance connected with al Qaeda-affiliated militants exactly who launched an offensive that endangered this Malian capital, Bamako, from the southwest involving the country.
For a couple weeks, French jets and heli-copter gunships have got also been pursuing the retreating Islamists, attacking their vehicles, control threads plus weapons depots. The purpose is to obstruct this move forward belonging to the rebels till makes with the ECOWAS grouping with West African nations could release to help receive within the fight.
A U.S. safeguard official, communicating on issue involving anonymity, reported about three U.S. KC-135 tankers will provide aerial refueling when essential French aircraft, such as tactical jets and bombers. The U.S. planes tend to be stationed from Moron Air Base with Spain.
The safety established said that United States estimated the tankers for being included in the operations to get a period of time connected with months while needed. They will probably be operating less than the U.S. Africa Command, which will coordinates U.S. military direction with African nations but relies with Germany.
In his telephone call by using Le Drian, Panetta commended France intended for foremost the combat Malian rebels linked using al Qaeda from the Islamic Maghreb along with mentioned which "recent operational successes have made it simpler for turn back terrorist advances," Little said in the statement.
Little reported Panetta and also Le Drian likewise conversed programs to the United States to be able to transportation troops from African nations, which includes Chad and Togo, with supporting the worldwide hard work within Mali.
Panetta has said your United States has very little programs that can put beat troops in Mali. Defense authorities have stated a smallish number of U.S. military personnel were briefly in the flight terminal inside Bamako to cope with this logistics of the airlift with countless French soldiers as well as a pile of supplies.
(Reporting By David Alexander and Phil Stewart; modifying simply by Philip Barbara)
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