Mattis vows no cut in military support for France in Mali
U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis says the U.S. will not reduce its support for the French-led military operations against insurgents in Mali.
Speaking alongside Mattis at a press conference Oct. 2 in Paris, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said the Pentagon chief reassured her that any changes in U.S. operations or forces in Africa would not impact the support provided to France.
The Pentagon has been reevaluating its troop presence and operations in Africa after an ambush in Niger last year that killed four U.S. soldiers and four of Niger counterparts. French forces were part of the rescue force that went to the aid of U.S. forces.
French leaders have previously suggested they’d like to see continued or additional American support in Africa, where militant groups continue to wage attacks. AP
Strange sights, sounds could herald California rocket return
The Air Force is warning residents on California’s central coast to be prepared for unusual sights and sounds this weekend as SpaceX attempts its first return of a rocket to launch site on the West Coast.
A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is scheduled to launch a satellite into orbit from Vandenberg Air Force Base, Calif., at 7:21 p.m., Oct. 6.
The Falcon’s first stage will then fly back to Vandenberg and set down in a landing zone on the coastal base.
The 30th Space Wing says residents may see multiple engine burns by the first stage and there may be one or more sonic booms.
SpaceX has flown boosters back to land after launches from Florida but has yet to do so in California. AP
Turkey renews mandate for military operations in Syria, Iraq
Turkey’s parliament has voted to extend by another year a mandate that allows the military to intervene in Iraq and Syria when faced with national security threats.
The mandate approved Oct. 3 allows Turkey to send troops over its southern border to battle Kurdish rebels, Islamic State group militants and other groups that Turkey views as terrorists.
The vote comes as Erdogan has suggested Turkey could take steps to create “safe zones” across northern Syria, including in areas held by Kurdish fighters who are allied with the United States.
Turkey has previously used the mandate, which it has renewed every year since 2014, for cross-border operations against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, in northern Iraq and to clear IS militants and Syrian Kurdish militia from border areas inside Syria. AP