As French troops prepare to step up their work in the African country of Mali, the United States is preparing to offer logistical support in the continued fight against Islamist militants, Pentagon officials said on Monday.
According to Voice of America, the U.S. has already started assisting French troops with intelligence gathered by unmanned aerial vehicles, or UAVs.
During a flight to Europe, U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told reporters, "We have a responsibility in North Africa and Mali. We've been very concerned about AQIM (al-Qaeda in the Islamic Meghreb) and their efforts to establish a very strong base in that area."
Panetta added that although the U.S. is keen on helping their European ally, aid will be limited.
"It's basically kind of in three areas that we're looking at. One is to obviously provide limited logistical support. Two is to provide intelligence support. And three, to provide some airlift capability as well," he told Voice of America.
According to the Christian Science Monitor, it is unclear how limited assistance from the U.S. forces will be. On Sunday, American fighter jets entered Somalia's air space to help the French during a hostage rescue mission. The hostage, who was taken by the Al Shabab terrorist group was apparently killed in the crossfire, while another French commando was reported missing.
Following the military coup in Mali last year that left the country without a legitimate governing body, Mali's interim leaders have asked France to intervene, Voice of America reported. The CS Monitor reported that French troops are attempting to stop Islamist forces in the north from marching to the capital of Bamako.
On Monday, the New York Times reported that the Islamist forces were able to take over a strategic village and military post in central Mali despite French efforts. The French defense minister was forced to acknowledge that the militants had made serious advancements towards the capital, getting closer than they had been before French intervention.
However, on Tuesday the Guardian reported that France expects to more than triple its troop numbers in Mali to "progressively" reach 2,500. According to the Guardian, French President François Hollande spoke from a French military base in Abu Dhabi and said, "We will continue the deployment of forces on the ground and in the air. We have 750 troops deployed at the moment and that will keep increasing, so that as quickly as possible we can hand over to the Africans."
According to the New York Times, the French have pledged to stop Islamist militants from gaining greater control of Mali as well as restoring Mali's territorial integrity.
United Nations spokesman Eduardo del Buey said on Monday that the fighting has displaced an estimated 30,000 Malians.
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