num_pages: 242
description: In January 2013 France intervened in its former African colony Mali to stop an Al Qa'ida advance on the capital. French special forces warplanes and army units struck with rapid and unexpected force. Their intervention quickly repelled the jihadist advance and soon the terrorists had been chased from their safe haven in Mali's desolate North - an impressive accomplishment. Although there have been many books on the US wars in Iraq and Afghanistan there are almost none on the recent military interventions of America's allies. Because it was quick effective and relatively low cost the story contains valuable lessons for future strategy. Based on exclusive interviews with high-level civilian and military officials in Paris Washington and Bamako this book offers a fast-paced concise strategic overview of this war. As terrorist groups proliferate across North Africa what France accomplished in Mali should be a key reference point for national security experts.
language: English
title: The French War on Al Qa'ida in Africa
publisher: Cambridge University Press