French Foreign Legion Paratroopers - French paratroopers of the 2nd REP - 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment - parachute in the Menaka region of Mali, September 27, 2018. Image: @armeefrancaise/Facebook
On Thursday 27 September, French paratroopers carried out an air operation in the Menaka region of northeastern Mali, near the border with Niger.
French Foreign Legion Paratroopers
"Everywhere, always, Barkhan is ready to act," the French armed forces said in a Facebook post that confirmed the operation had taken place.
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Paratroopers of the 2nd REP, 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment, part of the French Foreign Legion, have been in Mali since June. They are assigned to the Desert Battle Group - Infantry (GTD-I) in the French Barkhane operation in the Sahel.
French journalist Jean-Marc Tanguy, who first reported the operation, wrote that 80 paratroopers, mainly from the 2nd REP, were dropped from an Airbus A400M Atlas and two C-160s. A GTD-I infantry company was also operating ashore.
Tangue says airborne operations have been conducted several times since the GTD-I was deployed, but this was the first major drop.
Later, Le Figaro reported that 120 paratroopers took part in the operation, citing French Armed Forces spokesman Colonel Patrick Steiger. About 80 of the two C-160s and 40 of the A400Ms were dropped in a region where Malian forces and a company of Barkhane are already present, Steiger said.
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"We combine different capabilities to create a surprise effect among armed terrorist groups and show the population that we can intervene quickly," Steiger said.
In its weekly situation report, the French military said 80 paratroopers were dropped from two C-130s and "40 commandos were dropped [at high altitude]", without specifying the aircraft used.
The ground operation involved "two motorized divisions of the Malian Armed Forces and one motorized company from Barkhane" and the paratroopers continued their mission on the ground after their jump.
The Airbus A400M military transport aircraft has been used in an operational parachute drop for the first time since its adoption by the French Air Force in 2013. The aircraft is still unable to release a parachute next to its door.
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2nd REP - French paratroopers of the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment - on board a plane in Mali, September 2018. Image: 2REPOfficiel/Twitter
On September 8, the 2nd REP tweeted that parachute commandos had conducted an "operational high-altitude jump in the Gao region of Mali." Operation Barkhane's main base in Mali is in Gao, with others in Niamey in Niger and N'Djamena in Chad.
The Menaka region, where Thursday's launch took place, is the most volatile in Mali. At least 12 Tuareg civilians have been killed by armed assailants in the region, local sources said on September 25.
Philippe Chapleau noted that there were several clashes last week, in which several militants were killed and three French soldiers were wounded. On August 26, a French airstrike in the Menaka region killed a senior official of the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara, a bodyguard and two civilians.
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2nd REP - French paratroopers from the 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment - train Malian soldiers, September 2018. Image: COMLE_DRPLE/Twitter
Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaeda seized control of Mali's desert north in early 2012, using a Tuareg separatist uprising. France launched a military intervention the following year that evolved into the current deployment of Operation Barkhane with a mandate for counter-terrorism operations across the Sahel region, including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger.
#2REP, here armed by the #Altor group, Pursuit Les Operations Menace in Regione du Liptako (Niger). Il lutte contre les groupes armés terrores aux coyés des force armées nigériennes ?????????, tout en restant en contact avec la Population ???? Nigeria | 2REP pic.twitter.com/meaCmEc1Qc — 2e REP – 2ème Regiment étranger de parachutistes (@2REPOfficiel) July 11, 2018
About 4,500 French personnel are deployed with Operation Barkhane and work alongside the joint G5 Sahel counter-terrorism force, which aims to train 5,000 troops, as well as peacekeepers stationed in the United Nations' MINUSMA stabilization mission in Mali.
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# Photo of the day! Canadian Armed Forces @CanadianForces ????????? Deployed an air task force to #Gao to support MINUSMA with aeromedical evacuation while building the mission's transportation and logistics capabilities. #Mali pic.twitter.com/vC77HVkMIe — MINUSMA (@UN_MINUSMA) September 27, 2018
The European Union also has a training mission in Mali. Its mandate was extended to May 2020 this year and expanded to include the provision of advisory and training support to the G5 Sahel Joint Force.
Estonian ????????? ESTPLA-26 infantry platoon participating in the #Barkhane operation in Mali, with military soldiers from #2REP #ALTOR began its work at Gao base in the north-east of the country ???????? Read more: https://t.co/p12iK2S9jl … … pic.twitter.com/UcV1mcU6LY — Légion étrangère (@COMLE_DRPLE) September 10, 2018
The United Kingdom has deployed three heavy-duty Royal Air Force Chinook helicopters and 90 personnel to support the Barkhane operation, while Estonia has deployed around 50 soldiers tasked with ensuring the security of the Gao military base.
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This post was updated on September 27 to include more information from the French Armed Forces Weekly Situation Report.
We use cookies or similar technologies on our website to analyze our traffic. You accept the use of cookies or other identifiers by turning off or ignoring this notice, clicking on links, buttons or continuing to browse this website. AgreeCALVI, France (Sept. 21, 2015) -- Paratroopers assigned to the 173rd Airborne Brigade, here Sept. The French 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment conducted bilateral training with the French Foreign Legion during exercise Cap Blanc on 1-16.
Cap Blanc, named for the distinctive headdress worn by foreign troops, is a joint training exercise between the United States and France to strengthen NATO capabilities through allied training and establish a lasting partnership between US airborne units and the French.
"It was a great training opportunity to expand our interoperability among our NATO allies," said Sgt. 1st Class Ronald Cole, scout platoon sergeant, 1st Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment. "It was our unit's first time working with the French Foreign Legion and we hope we have opened the door for future training with them."
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The two groups of paratroopers began the training exercise by conducting joint marksmanship training and exchanging close range shooting training techniques. During that time, Legionnaires who qualified with US standards were awarded the US Marksmanship Badge.
Further training included mountaineering, amphibious warfare and close combat training using French SA 341/SA 342 Gazelle reconnaissance helicopters.
"This was an outstanding training event," said Sgt. Christopher T. Sylvester, 1st Battalion Sniper Section Chief. "We were able to hit all four corners of our mission essential tasks list. There is nothing the field and Army cannot provide for a scout platoon; the island is a unique experience that offers a multitude of different terrains".
The focus shifted to the second week of the exercise, when U.S. paratroopers were integrated into the Legion's annual Platoon Validation Course, a field exercise with long leg movements over dense terrain across northwestern Corsica.
French Foreign Legion
Fellow paratroopers conducted multiple platoon-level training lanes, with challenges such as water crossings and steep mountain walks. The field training event concluded with a test of the capabilities of the US Scout Platoon.
The platoon undertook a 24-hour reconnaissance and surveillance mission near Lumio, Corsica, beginning with a 9K night march through the countryside and covert movement into town. The platoon then scaled the 2,500-foot mountain and established surveillance sites, continuously gathering intelligence and reporting to the troops. French paratroopers then used intelligence obtained by the Americans to raid the target.
"I enjoyed our training time with the 173rd Airborne Brigade," said French Maj. Jean Baptiste, the 2nd Regiment's operations officer. "Training with the Scout Platoon was a unique experience - we don't have a unit like this in the French Foreign Legion."
"This was the best training rotation I've had in the last two and a half years in this unit," said Sgt. Daniel T. Fedele, scout team leader. "It's an experience I'll never forget."
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After the French exercise, the scout platoon is expected to conduct another joint training and reconnaissance operation with Italy's Folgor Airborne Brigade's 8th Engineer Regiment. Etranger de Parachutist at their base on the rugged island of Corsica.
Soldiers have trained in air, land and sea as the two units form a close working relationship.
The Blue Legionnaire exercise saw the two units shoot each other and practice fighting together in urban areas.
2nd Para soldiers earned their French parachute wings by jumping from French C-160 Transal aircraft with French parachutes from the Ensemble de Parachutage Individual, while jumping from an RAF C-130 Hercules earned soldiers their British wings 2e REP.
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2e REP has specialized mountain and amphibious troops who taught 2 Para troops survival and climbing techniques in the snowy mountains of Corsica.
The two-week exercise was part of the Interim Combined Joint Expeditionary Force (i-CJEF), a partnership between the British 16th Air Assault Brigade and the French 11th Parachute Brigade, which is ready to deploy for operations at any time, from warfighting. For disaster relief.
Major Adam Wilson, B Company Commander, said: “2 Para and 2e REP
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