[MUSIC PLAYING]
-A year ago, most of the West saw Mali as a kind of cultural
center of Africa, a place with celebrated musicians and a
healthy tourist trade.
But that all changed when the bungled military coup in the
south led to a jihadist take-over in the north.
Islamist groups like Ansar Dine and MUJAO imposed a harsh
system of sharia law in northern cities like Gao and
Timbuktu, banning everything from booze and cigarettes to
music and dancing.
In January, the Islamists launched a second offensive,
sending the Malian army running and forcing France,
Mali's former colonial ruler, to intervene.
In a matter of days, French troops had recaptured all of
northern Mali's major towns from the rebels.
It looked like the quickest, cleanest, most successful war
of modern times.
But things aren't ever that simple.
Now the Malians and the French are facing a vicious
Afghanistan-style war against pockets of invisible Muslim
insurgents in a fight with no real end in sight.
This is the story of the battle for Gao, the biggest
city in northern Mali.
The surrounding countryside is still jihadist territory.
And though the French control the city center--
more or less--
everyday, new homemade bombs are found in the city, each
one powerful enough to destroy a tank.
The French and their Malian allies
need to keep Gao secure.
And to do that, they need to expel the surrounding rebels.
Where do you think the rebels are?
-At Gao's only hotel, the Malian troops seemed relaxed,
even though there was clearly trouble on the horizon.
[GUN FIRE]
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-I jumped in the back of a Malian pickup truck heading
towards the battle through deserted streets.
The French were leaving this battle to the Malians.
But no one knew what to expect.
The storm of gunfire was coming from Gao's central
courthouse, the palace of justice.
Soldiers milled around aimlessly, preparing for
battle and trying to work out what was going on.
It was a scene of utter confusion.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-We were taking fire from multiple locations.
It became clear that there were more jihadists in town
than anyone had expected.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The major in charge of these troops thought there were
snipers on top of the building opposite, so he sent some
soldiers in to check.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-On the roof, confusion reigned as friendly fire threw
us to the floor.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The Malians had worked out that the jihadists weren't
just in the courthouse but also in the
marketplace on our right.
They sprayed wild bursts of machine gun fire at them.
The soldiers exchanged cigarettes while the corporal
worked out what to do.
Then he rang the commanding officer down below.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The corporal wanted to smash the wall down with an armored
car and attack the Islamists, but his commanding officer
wasn't so sure.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The two men stood in the street arguing about how to
fight the battle.
Neither of them knew the enemy were about to make the
decision for them.
[GUN FIRE]
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The Jeep came to take the wounded major away.
-[LAUGHING]
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-Now the corporal was in charge.
They took the fight to the Islamists.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-We pulled back a bit while the armored car drove up to
smash down the wall.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-No one wants to drive through a minefield.
The armored car driver reversed down the road to
consider a more careful approach.
While the vehicles considered the next step, the Malian
soldiers laid down a wall of covering fire.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-It was a few hours into the battle now.
And the soldiers were beginning to run out of ammo.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-The Malians were about to launch a head-on assault on
the courthouse.
-[SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE]
-While the jihadists were outnumbered and outgunned,
they weren't giving up.
The advance faulted under the enemy's sustained and accurate
riffle fire.
They needed a better plan.
[MUSIC PLAYING]