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Obama OKs $50 million to support French operation in Mali
President Obama on Monday authorized the expenditure of $50 million to support the French-led military intervention in Mali.
The United States has been refueling French fighter jets and transporting French troops and equipment to help rout militant Islamists from the northern part of the desert country but has said it won't send boots on the ground. The new funds will also support the neighboring nation of Chad, which has agreed to send 2,000 troops experienced in desert warfare to retake the north – the largest contingent of any African nation.
“I hereby determine that an unforeseen emergency exists that requires immediate military assistance to Chad and France in their efforts to secure Mali from terrorists and violent extremists,” Obama wrote to the secretaries of State and Defense. “I further determine that these requirements cannot be met under the authority of the Arms Export Control Act or any other provision of law.”
The U.S. is worried that northern Mali – a lawless area the size of Texas – could become a new safe haven for al Qaeda-linked militants.
