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By InHomelandSecurity Staff

Breaking News: CNN and several outlets are now reporting that U.S. Special Forces assisted in the Mali rescue today after the Radisson Blu Hotel in Bamako came under siege in what appears to be an organized terror attack nearly one week after the Paris attacks. Bamako is the capital of the West African Republic of Mali.

[See CNN’s special video report]

Initial reports according to CNN indicate armed gunmen accessed the hotel with some “ease” because the vehicles they arrived in had diplomatic plates. Security forces responded with a counterassault to free the hostages taken and that “U.S. military assets have been removing Americans to safety.” Approximately 170 guests may have been taken hostage, according to CNN’s Mali hotel attack report, and that there are no more hostages inside the hotel.

By William Tucker

As the French led intervention force in Mali advanced on militant positions in the north of the African country, politicians in Paris were looking for a way to draw down forces and allow for Bamako to reclaim it’s territory. Though the French weren’t alone in the intervention, there is a desire for a peacekeeping force to replace the small coalition that has been in the fight.

By William Tucker

The U.S. has been active in North Africa for quite some time – much of it related to the war on terror and the ensuing chaos in Libya – but the superpower has not yet managed to establish a significant, permanent presence. Currently, many U.S. operations are run from Djibouti and assorted forward operating bases scattered across the continent.

By William Tucker

On Friday, January 11th, French military forces were thrust into the midst of the Malian conflict in response to a recent Islamist offensive that was driving south. The Islamist offensive initially assaulted the central city of Mopti, and the nearby city of Sevare – which hosts the Mopti airport – before becoming bogged down. Rather than fight a protracted battle with the Malian military and risk heavy losses…

By William Tucker

The Malian army has stated that Islamists who seized much of northern Mali last year – along with several Tuareg groups – have begun moving south towards Mopti. The city of Mopti sits astride the Niger river and lays in the narrow region that separates the north of Mali from the south. Currently, the Malian army controls the majority of this chokepoint.

By William Tucker

In an attempt to stem the flow of people illegally transiting Libyan territory and the rather robust black market activities, the Parliament in Tripoli has ordered the borders with Sudan, Chad, Niger, and Algeria to be temporarily closed. Furthermore, the southern regions of Ghadames, Ghat, Obari, Al-Shati, Sebha, Murzuq and Kufra would be “considered as closed military zones to be ruled under emergency law.”

By William Tucker

In the last two days Syrian mortars have been fired into Golan prompting Israel to return fire. Also over the weekend the Syrian military carried out an airstrike on a rebel held village on the Syrian-Turkish border. These events have been used as evidence by international media that the Syrian civil war is spilling over into neighboring countries, and thus, is taking on a regional dimension.

By William Tucker

Guinea has agreed to release a shipment of military arms bound for Mali following an inspection by Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). The arms shipment was held up because ECOWAS was still mediating in the crisis between the Malian military and the civilian government. The transfer of power to a new unity government back in August helped clear the way for international assistance.