France asks for US drone support in Mali

PARIS (WSJ) — French military forces joined Malian troops battling Islamist rebels in the West African nation, and Paris asked the U.S. to send drones to support the campaign, amid Western fears that insurgent groups with links to al Qaeda could destabilize the region and gain the ability to strike overseas.

President François Hollande said Friday that French soldiers were intervening alongside the local army and other troops from Western African countries, at the Mali government's request, to help stop the progression of rebel groups advancing toward the south. He said the intervention is being conducted under resolutions by the United Nations Security Council, which early Friday called for "a rapid deployment" of foreign troops.

France has asked U.S. officials to speed surveillance equipment to support the military campaign, Western officials said. The Pentagon is reviewing the request, which if approved—as is expected—would involve the deployment of drones, satellites and sophisticated eavesdropping systems to collect intelligence in support of French strikes on militant targets.

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