In Mali's desert French troops hunt al Qaeda well by well

[Valin]

Reuters:

Joe Penney

NORTH OF TIMBUKTU Mali Fri Nov 21, 2014

 

(Reuters) - If the French army and its allies are to keep al Qaeda at bay in the desert of northern Mali they must stop them seizing the biggest prizes in the sea of white sand - the wells.

 

So this month a column of soldiers from France, Burkina Faso and Mali, in armored vehicles and pick-up trucks, churned toward a village north of Timbuktu where herders water camels and goats.

 

They were looking for signs of infiltration by militants who need water as much as the locals do and aim to convert villages to their ideology.

 

France uses drones, jets and helicopters in its Operation Barkhane mission to eliminate jihadist sanctuaries across five Sahel countries, but winning local support is key and that means face-to-face contact, soldiers said.

 

(Snip)