Mali rebels attack US plane

Tuareg rebels opened fire on a United States military aircraft that was yesterday flying in supplies for beleaguered Malian troops on Sept. 13, pinned down on the fringes of the Sahara Desert. Mali's forces have been battling a Tuareg insurgency in the north of the country in recent weeks after a spate of raids and ambushes. The United States has been sending military experts across the lawless unpoliced deserts of the Sahara for several years to provide counter-terrorism training but this is believed to be the first time the US military has lent a helping hand in a domestic operation. "It was not a normal event. We do not do this day to day," Major John Dorrian, spokesman for the US European Command that also covers Africa, said. The American Hercules was hit by AK-47 fire over the northern village of Tin-Zawatine near the border with Algeria in the early hours, but there were no casualties and the plane managed to return to base in the capital city, Bamako. The light-skinned Tuareg, known as the "Blue Men of the Desert" because of their trademark indigo gowns and turbans, complain they are not represented by the national black African-dominated government, based more than 1,000 miles away to the south, and are demanding more autonomy. More militant members of the nomadic group have begun an active campaign under the leadership of Ibrahima Bahanga, rekindling memories of sustained revolts in the 1960s and the early 1990s. In the last two weeks Bahanga's men have ambushed at least three military convoys in the mountainous and desolate border regions, capturing several dozen government soldiers and seizing vehicles and ammunition. They have also been blamed for laying mines to cover their tracks, killing at least 13 people. US military officials said the Malian government had asked them to fly in supplies to troops in Tin-Zawatine, as they happened to be in the region following a training exercise. But Major Dorrian would not rule out the prospect of providing similar support in future.