The Hellenic Navy (HN) (Greek: Πολεμικό Ναυτικό, Polemikó Naftikó, abbreviated ΠΝ) is the naval force of Greece, part of the Greek Armed Forces. The modern Greek navy has its roots in the naval forces of various Aegean Islands, which fought in the Greek War of Independence. During the periods of monarchy (1833–1924 and 1936–1973) it was known as the Royal Navy (Βασιλικόν Ναυτικόν, Vasilikón Naftikón, abbreviated ΒΝ).The total displacement of all the navy's vessels is approximately 150,000 tons.The motto of the Hellenic Navy is "Μέγα το της Θαλάσσης Κράτος" from Thucydides' account of Pericles' oration on the eve of the Peloponnesian War. This has been roughly translated as "Great is the country that controls the sea". The Hellenic Navy's emblem consists of an anchor in front of a crossed Christian cross and trident, with the cross symbolizing Greek Orthodoxy, and the trident symbolizing Poseidon, the god of the sea in Greek mythology. Pericles' words are written across the top of the emblem. "The navy, as it represents a necessary weapon for Greece, should only be created for war and aim to victory."...............The Hellenic Merchant Marine refers to the Merchant Marine of Greece, engaged in commerce and transportation of goods and services universally. It consists of the merchant vessels owned by Greek civilians, flying either the Greek flag or a flag of convenience. Greece is a maritime nation by tradition, as shipping is arguably the oldest form of occupation of the Greeks and a key element of Greek economic activity since the ancient times. Nowadays, Greece has the largest merchant fleet in the world, which is the second largest contributor to the national economy after tourism and forms the backbone of world shipping. The Greek fleet flies a variety of flags, however some Greek shipowners gradually return to Greece following the changes to the legislative framework governing their operations and the improvement of infrastructure.Blogger Tips and Tricks
This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς....This is a bilingual blog in English and / or Greek and you can translate any post to any language by pressing on the appropriate flag....Note that there is provided below a scrolling text with the 30 recent posts...Αυτό είναι ένα δίγλωσσο blog στα Αγγλικά η/και στα Ελληνικά και μπορείτε να μεταφράσετε οποιοδήποτε ποστ σε οποιαδήποτε γλώσσα κάνοντας κλικ στη σχετική σημαία. Σημειωτέον ότι παρακάτω παρέχεται και ένα κινούμενο κείμενο με τα 30 πρόσφατα ποστς.........

Friday, January 24, 2014

French army in Mali ...[ 3429 ]

French army kills 11 militants in Mali anti-terror op

AFP
By Serge Daniel 2 hours ago  // 24/1/2014
French soldier snipers wearing ghillie suits sit on the top of a hill during operations in the Ifoghas mountain range, northern Mali, on March 16, 2013
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Bamako (AFP) - A French counter-terrorism offensive in rebel-infested northern Mali ended on Friday with 11 Islamist militants killed and a French soldier wounded, military sources inside the operation told AFP.
The action came as Paris steps up its campaign against armed groups linked to Al-Qaeda holed up in Mali's vast desert, following the former French colony's recent return to democratic government after a coup which plunged the country into chaos.
"The French military operation in the Timbuktu region is completed. Eleven terrorists were killed. A French soldier was wounded but his life is not in danger," said an official from France's Operation Serval military mission in its former colony.
A foreign source told AFP on Thursday troops were targeting the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), the Signatories in Blood -- an armed unit founded by fugitive jihadist commander Mokhtar Belmokhtar -- and fighters loyal to slain warlord Abdelhamid Abou Zeid.
A Malian military source confirmed the information, saying "the French have done a good job, because the jihadists, notably from Libya, are reorganising to occupy the region and dig in permanently".
The sources said military equipment and phones belonging to Islamist militants were seized by French troops.
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A French army convoy patrols in the desert on October …
A French army convoy patrols in the desert on October 31, 2013, near the village of Bamba, between T …
The operation took place a few hundred kilometres (miles) north of the desert caravan town of Timbuktu, according to a Malian security source.
Algerians Abou Zeid and Belmokhtar were leaders of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), which, along with MUJAO and other Islamist groups took advantage of a military coup in 2012 to occupy northern Mali before being driven out by French-led troops.
Anniversary of massacre
Abou Zeid was killed in fighting led by the French army in the far-northern Ifoghas mountains in late February last year, while Belmokhtar remains at large.
An African military source in MINUSMA, the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali, confirmed the operations on Thursday, while a local government source in Timbuktu told AFP "more than 100 French soldiers" had headed north from the town.
 
Troops of the French-led Serval Operation in Mali patrol …
Troops of the French-led Serval Operation in Mali patrol an area in Gao on October 16, 2013 (AFP Pho …
French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian spoke of the operation when he was asked by a French television station on Thursday to assess military activities in Mali over the past year.
He said that "not everything is finished, the terrorist risk in this part of Africa remains high".
"We will keep 1,000 soldiers who are carrying out counter-terrorism missions," he added.
"We have operations targeting groups rebuilding on two fronts, firstly around Timbuktu and then in the Ifoghas mountains."
Belmokhtar split from AQIM last year and launched the Signatories in Blood, masterminding a raid of Algeria's In Amenas gas plant in which 38 hostages were killed in a four-day siege.
Abou Zeid was credited with having significantly expanded AQIM's field of operations to Tunisia and Niger, and for kidnapping activities across the region.
Mali has been the target of a series of attacks claimed by Islamist insurgents since France launched its military intervention in January last year.
The residual groups of fighters are no longer able to carry out coordinated assaults, but Malian soldiers are vulnerable to small-scale attacks, by Islamist groups and also by separatist rebels from the country's Tuareg ethnic group.
Flags were flown at half mast in army barracks across Mali on Friday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, in commemoration of the two-year anniversary of a mass killing by Tuareg separatists which came to be known as the Massacre of Aguelhoc.
When the northern town of Aguelhoc was taken on January 24 2012, more than 90 soldiers and civilians had their throats slit or were shot in summary executions by the separatist Tuareg National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad.
The statement said special prayers for the dead were planned in the garrison town of Kati, 15 kilometres northeast of Bamako, as well as religious services on Sunday.
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