DTN News: French Troops To Leave Former Colony Senegal

DTN News: French Troops To Leave Former Colony Senegal *Source: DTN News / Reuters (NSI News Source Info) DAKAR, Senegal - February 22, 2010: French troops will leave Senegal under an agreement to be signed shortly before the West African country celebrates 50 years of independence from France in April, the Senegalese presidency said on Sunday. France has about 1,200 military personnel stationed at an air base in the capital Dakar, one of three French bases in Africa. "It has been decided that the French ... will leave Senegal under an agreement which will be signed before April 4," the presidency said in a statement after talks between President Abdoulaye Wade and French Defence Minister Herve Morin. On April 4, Senegal will mark the 50the anniversary of independence from France.

Somali Pirates Seize Another Boat

Somali Pirates Seize Another Boat

(NSI News Source Info) April 12, 2009: Somali pirates have hijacked a tugboat in the Gulf of Aden with 16 crew members on board - 10 of them Italians. Maritime industry sources say the tug was towing two barges at the time of the attack at 0800 GMT. The crew are said to be unharmed. The US merchant ship Maersk Alabama steers past a ferry boat at the entrance of the port of Mombasa on April 11, 2009. The US-flagged container ship Maersk Alabama and its American crew, seized briefly by Somali pirates earlier in the week, docked in Mombasa, its original destination in Kenya. Meanwhile pirates holding a US captain hostage have warned that using force to rescue him could result in "disaster". They said they hoped to put Capt Richard Phillips on a larger vessel. US ships are on their way to the area. He is being held by four pirates in a lifeboat hundreds of kilometres off Somalia. In other developments: *Sailors on a Panama-flagged bulk carrier repulsed a pirate attack with water hoses. Nato officials on a nearby Portuguese warship said an unexploded rocket-propelled grenade landed in the commanding officer's cabin *On Friday, one Frenchman and two pirates were killed in a rescue operation by French troops on another vessel captured off Somalia. Four others, including a child, were freed from the yacht Growing concern Earlier reports suggested that a group of Somali elders were preparing to mediate between American officials and the pirates for Capt Phillips' release, but there has been no news of any progress. The US national was taken hostage on Wednesday after pirates hijacked his ship, the Maersk Alabama, as it sailed towards the Kenyan port of Mombasa carrying food aid.

After a long struggle, crew members regained control of the ship. It is thought Capt Phillips offered himself as a hostage in order to save his crew. The Maersk Alabama arrived in Mombasa late on Saturday. "He's a hero," one crew member shouted as the ship moored, referring to Capt Phillips. The BBC's Karen Allen at the port says there is unprecedented security. FBI agents are on board the ship. Maersk President and Chief Executive Officer John Reinhart told journalists the ship was now a crime scene and the crew would have to stay on it during the investigation. They would all be repatriated as soon as possible, he added. There has been rising concern in the US over the fate of the captain - Defence Secretary Robert Gates told reporters in Washington on Friday that his safe return was a "top priority". FBI experts are helping negotiate his release, but analysts have said the process could be lengthy. Capt Phillips tried to escape on Friday by jumping overboard and swimming towards a nearby US ship, but was recaptured. Reports in the US say the pirates are demanding a ransom of $2m for his safe release. The US Navy destroyer, USS Bainbridge, is at the scene of the confrontation with other American warships on the way. Stories circulating in Somalia claim that extra pirate ships are also making their way towards the area. The pirates say they hope to transfer Capt Phillips to a bigger and better-protected vessel. The Pentagon is also said to be considering other options, including possible military force, US sources say. But the Somali pirate commander warned against any forcible intervention. "I'm afraid this matter is likely to create disaster because it is taking too long and we are getting information that the Americans are planning rescue tricks like the French commandos did," Abdi Garad said. French ordeal The attacks have renewed international focus on hijackings in one of the world's busiest shipping lanes. Florent Lemacon, the owner of the French yacht and father of the child who was on board, was killed during the rescue operation. French Defence Minister Herve Morin said on Saturday that officials "cannot rule out" that Mr Lemacon was killed by French fire. But he said the raid was "the best possible decision," and that an investigation would determine what happened on board the Tanit. The four released hostages - Mr Lemacon's wife Chloe, their three-year-old son Colin, and two other adults - are due to arrive in Paris on Sunday, he said. Somalia has been without an effective government since 1991, fuelling the lawlessness which has allowed the pirates to thrive. Pirates typically hold the ships and crews until large ransoms are paid by the shipping companies. Last year the firms handed over about $80m (£54m). Efforts to stop the pirates have so far had only limited success, with international naval patrols struggling to cover the vast areas of ocean where pirates operate.

French Deploy Counter-IED Vehicles In Afghanistan / Afghanistan: Arrival Of The Buffaloes

French Deploy Counter-IED Vehicles In Afghanistan / Afghanistan: Arrival Of The Buffaloes (NSI News Source Info) April 8, 2009: On Saturday April 4, 2009 three Buffalo and two Souvim (Système d’ouverture d’itinéraires minés, or route-opening system in mined terrain) arrived at Kabul airport by Antonov 124 transport aircraft. A Buffalo anti-IED vehicle being unloaded from an Antonov An-124 transport aircraft at Kabul airport. The Buffalo MPCV is the most advanced mine resistant vehicle in the world. It can be configured for multiple missions and is specifically designed to be repaired in the field. Cutting-edge technology combined with the best American automotive components give this vehicle the maximum visibility, load carrying capacity, interior space and parts availability of any vehicle in its class. These vehicles will be operated in support of all French detachments in Afghanistan, and mainly OMLT, BATFRA (French battalion) or GTIA Kapisa, under the responsibility of combat engineer detachment commanders. Their mission consists in opening road itineraries used by French troops in theatre. These detachments, operating in close coordination with mine disposal specialists belonging to the NEDEX (Neutralisation, enlèvement et destruction d’engins explosifs, or explosive ordnance disposal) teams that accompany the convoys. The two types of vehicle work together as a team. Once improvised explosive ordnance is detected and marked by a Souvim, the Buffalo uses its articulated arm to uncover the device, allowing the NEDEX team to neutralize under the most favorable safety conditions. The arrival of the Buffaloes in theatre will allow French troops to cope with an increase in the number and frequency of IED attacks that threaten Coalition forces. As for the remote-controlled weapon stations fitted to the VAB wheeled armored vehicles, this program is part of the “urgent operational requirements” acquisitions.

France May Take NATO Command Post In U.S.

France May Take NATO Command Post In U.S.

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS - February 6, 2009: France is in talks on taking control of two NATO command posts, including a prestigious one in the United States that has never been led by a foreign commander, defense officials said Thursday. Such a move could also be accompanied by the injection of hundreds more French troops into NATO, a European defense official said. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because no deal had been finalized. President Nicolas Sarkozy has been looking to tighten France's links with NATO, particularly ahead of the defense alliance's April summit meeting in Strasbourg and Kehl, Germany, that will celebrate its 60th anniversary. The European official and a French military official said France was in talks to put a French general in charge of two command posts: one in Norfolk, Virginia, responsible for laying out the long-term vision of the Atlantic alliance, and the other an operational command based in Lisbon. The French official also spoke on condition of anonymity because the talks are still under way. The Norfolk command, known as the Allied Command Transformation, is particularly prestigious. It is responsible for helping lay out the alliance's doctrine and for training and preparing for future scenarios, among other duties. News reports in France on Thursday said Sarkozy had won U.S. approval for the proposal for French generals to run the posts. The European official said France could accompany control of the Norfolk post with devoting up to another 800 troops to the NATO umbrella. President Charles de Gaulle withdrew France from NATO's military command in 1966 as he sought to reassert France's independence after the grueling post-World War II years. The decision has hurt trans-Atlantic ties for decades, and France remains outside the alliance's nuclear group and its planning committee. Sarkozy contends that new threats like terrorism are moving the alliance farther away from its original Cold War mind-set, and that it is in France's interest to move toward greater international cooperation.

But he has had to fend off political opposition at home from those who fear he would give up too much of France's freedom of decision-making on military matters. France is deeply involved in nearly all NATO operations.

But its absence from the integrated military command exposes a lack of unity in the alliance. France has tried in the past - and failed - to increase its ties to NATO, including an effort in the mid-1990s by President Jacques Chirac for France to run an operational command of the alliance in Naples.

France To Pull 2,100 Troops From Africa

France To Pull 2,100 Troops From Africa

(NSI News Source Info) PARIS - January 30, 2009: France will withdraw 2,100 troops from Ivory Coast and Chad this year, out of a total 13,290 personnel deployed overseas, intending to save from 100 million euros to 150 million euros ($130.0 million to $196.3 million), the government said. Foreign deployments cost 857 million euros last year, up from 685 million euros in 2007, Defense Ministry figures show. French Prime Minister François Fillon told the lower house National Assembly in a Jan. 28 debate on foreign military operations that "at least 1,000" of 1,650 French soldiers deployed in the European Union Eufor contingent would be pulled out by the summer. The United Nations takes over the mandate for the multinational force deployed on the border of Congo and Chad on March 15. France was a prime mover in getting the European Union to commit troops alongside African Union forces along the Chadian border to protect refugees from the Darfur province. Reduced conflict and the prospect of elections in Ivory Coast meant France could pull some troops out of the West African country, Fillon said. Defense Minister Hervé Morin said in an interview with daily newspaper France Soir on Jan. 28, "The idea in 2009 is to move toward a 20 percent reduction. We could cut numbers from 13,000 to 10,000," he said. Lower numbers abroad could save from 100 million euros to 150 million euros a year, he said. Troop strength in Afghanistan would be maintained, and Morin ruled out a force increase as requested by U.S. President Barack Obama. "This subject is not up for debate," Morin said. "There is no plan to send new French troops to Afghanistan." Other withdrawals could come from Bosnia and Kosovo, he said. The white paper on defense and national security set out the guidelines for foreign intervention, including: * Seriousness of threat to national security or international peace and security. * Consideration of other measures. * Respect for international rule of law. * Sovereign appreciation by French political authorities, freedom of action and capacity to assess the situation at all times. * Democratic legitimacy, implying transparency of goals and support of the nation, as expressed by parliament. * Capacity to commit French troops at a sufficient level, national control and a political strategy seeking a lasting settlement of the crisis. * Definition of the commitment in space and time, with a precise evaluation of cost. Because the deployments are not fully funded by the general budget, money has traditionally been used from the equipment investment account.