France announces that they have killed 33 terrorists in Mali.

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the troops in the Ivory Coast. BBC/AFP.

France has announced that they killed 33 terrorists in Mali. BBC. French President Emmanuel Macron made the announcement while visiting the troops in the Ivory Coast for an early Christmas. The victory comes weeks after France faced it's worst one day death toll in years when 13 French troops died in a helicopter crash while fighting Jihadists. The French have had troops in the region since 2013 after Islamist militants took over much of the countryside. The operation has been unpopular and French generals have said the war cannot be won with military strength alone. In addition to the 33 dead jihadi fighters, French troops captured another one and rescued two captured Malian gendarmes.

My Comment:

Some rare good news for embattled French President Emmanuel Macron. The last time I talked about France's war in Mali, they had lost 13 troops in a freak helicopter collision that was a major tragedy and embarrassment for the French. The war in Mali hasn't been going that great so any good news is needed. 

This operation looks like it was a major success. They killed 33 militants, captured another one and rescued two allies. When the French military are allowed off their leashes they can be extremely effective and competent and this is a good example of that. Rescuing prisoners is one of the more difficult things a military can do and to pull it off with both of the hostages alive and no friendly casualties is a major accomplishment. 

Still, 33 terrorists is just a drop in the bucket in a very dangerous and complex war that involves many of the local players in the region. France's role there is fairly limited and mostly consists of training and logistics, not commando raids. They cannot win the war against the various jihadists groups without local forces on the ground helping out. 

I do think that Europe would be wise to help out France. Countries like Germany and the United Kingdom have a vested interest in not allowing Mali to become a jihadist launching pad like Libya and Syria used to be. But France, and their local allies, are fighting this war alone. 

Finally, I do have to say that I do like that Emmanuel Macron was visiting the troops. I am no fan of Macron at all, given his globalist economic policies and the fact that he hasn't been listening to the poor and middle classes of his country, but I do think that visiting the troops is something leaders should do. My opinion of him rose a very small amount because of his visit to the Ivory Coast.