Troops from the Economic Community of West African States deployed in Mali are “completely incapable” and are not “up to the task” of fighting Islamist militants, a senior Pentagon official said Tuesday.
Michael Sheehan, assistant secretary of defense for special operations, offered his harsh criticism of the West African forces at a congressional hearing in which he praised French troops for rolling back insurgents in Mali.
“Right now, the ECOWAS force isn’t capable at all. What you saw there, it is a completely incapable force. That has to change,” Sheehan told a Senate Armed Services subcommittee on emerging threats.
The French intervention starting in January “very rapidly” pushed Al-Qaeda’s north African branch “back across the Niger river and took control of the major cities,” he said.
However, he said much of the Al-Qaeda leadership had escaped.
“They haven’t been killed or captured, but they (the French forces) have disrupted this very threatening sanctuary.”
Sheehan said a planned UN peacekeeping force in Mali should have a realistic mission, in which the blue helmets would be expected to secure cities but not hunt down militants in remote areas in the north.
“That type of force should be able to take back those cities and allow the French to focus its smaller force in the future on high value targets,” he said.
As for pursuing members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), Sheehan said that should not be a task for the UN peacekeepers.
“The UN cannot do that and we shouldn’t expect them to do that.”
“That will be up to the French, perhaps with our support, other specialized units, perhaps the Algerians if we can convince them,” he added.
France has announced the beginning of a troop withdrawal from Mali set for late April, with its deployment halving by late July and a UN peacekeeping force of more than 11,000 troops expected to deploy around the same time.
ECOWAS force in Mali is 'incapable': US official
