Top news: French troops prepared to launch a ground assault against Islamist militants in Mali amid reports that the rebels have dispersed throughout the population, raising the possibility that French ground forces face a protacted ground operation against a hardened insurgency.
After five days of airstrikes, the French military has been unable to dislodge the rebels, who are reported to have stockpiled weapons and supplies in caves around the country. Initial reports from Mali indicated that the French forces were seeing a great deal of success against the enemy, striking large columns of forces moving south, inflicting large casualties, and fueling optimistic assessments that the rebels would be quickly routed. But the rebels have since scattered and remain in control of the town of Konna, the seizure of which provoked the French intervention.
French forces will now begin a ground assault to drive the rebels north and will likely target the town of Diabaly. The push north is likely to French forces in "direct combat" with the Mali rebels, according to Edouard Guillaurd, the chief of staff of the French army. France has committed about 1,700 troops to the mission, with about 800 deployed in the country. While France has said that it does not plan an extended military deployment in Mali, the African forces slated to take over responsibility for the French mission are not expected to be ready for weeks.
Syria: Following deadly explosions at university in Aleppo that killed over 80 people, the Syrian army launched an offensive against rebels in the city. It is unclear who was responsible for the blast, which occurred as students were taking exams, and both sides of the conflict have accused the other of carrying out the attack.
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