How France Fought a Lightning War in Mali (Op Serval) - Battle Order

Chapters: 0:00 - The Situation 1:35 - Rebel Offensive 2:35 - French Intervention 4:30 - Task Force Doctrine 5:50 - Emergency Deployments 7:23 - France on the Attack 14:47 - Takeaways



Whatever one thinks of neo colonial interventions there is a real danger posed by Islamist groups throughout the world. In this case rebel Islamist attacks occurred into Southern Mali because the Government refused to institute Sharia Law into their Constitution. Note: This conflict occurred before the rise of drone warfare, something that has put a huge dent in the operational effectiveness of Western ground forces (dramatically raising casualty rates).

[Posted at the SpookyWeather2 blog, March 30, 2026.]