The French government has thrown down the gauntlet to the jihadists of Ansar Dine and their fellow travelers in Mali -- and insists its goal is nothing short of eradicating these militant groups. It is a major undertaking, even with U.S. logistical and intelligence help and the prospect of reinforcement from African states. And the outcome is far from assured. Operation Serval seeks to push Islamist groups out of northern Mali's key cities as well as smaller towns dotted through this vast region. But these groups have had nine months to establish defenses and a chain of command and improve their arsenals.
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Operation Serval seeks to push Islamist groups out of northern Mali's key cities
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France insists its goal is nothing short of eradicating these militant groups
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Flood: Most ordinary Malians are welcoming the French intervention
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But enthusiasm may wear off if result is prolonged urban warfare, he says
@placeholder's army, national police and paramilitary gendarme force, who had been stationed in the north, relocated to the safety of garrisons and cinder-block station houses south of a rapidly created front line.