Mali crisis: U.S. military allowed on mistakes in army training

The command of U.S. forces in Africa says the Pentagon made mistakes in training of Malian troops icts now trying to oust Islamists from the north.

Gen. Carter Ham, of U.S. Africa Command, American Forces Said HAD failed to train Malian troops on "values, ethics and a military ethos."

He was speaking Effective reports of Abuses by government troops Mali taking share in the French-led counter-offensive.

Meanwhile, air strikes reported about Have Been near the northern city of Gao.

The militant stronghold cam under fire as the military operation Entered icts third week.

Islamists Seized the north of the country last year and Have Imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law is icts Inhabitants.

Militarily France intervened on 11 January to stop 'em Advancing further south.

'Military ethos'

However, human rights groups since accusé Have Malian troops of killing Arabs and ethnic Tuaregs As They advance north.

The claims Caused alarm in the West, Particularly in the U.S. Which has-been training troops in Mali and Neighbouring countries to tackle the militant threat for several years.

Gen Ham Malian troops Said Were Given plenty of tactical training, but not enough ethics training.

"We were training our Almost Focusing exclusively on tactical or technical matters," he Told a forum at Washington's Howard University.

"We did the requisite Spend time probably Focusing on values, ethics and a military ethos."

Said The general was not enough done to convince recruits Malian That "when you put on the uniform of your nation, you accept the responsibility to defend and protect That nation, to abide by the Civilian Legitimate authority That has-been, established, to conduite selon yourselves to the rule of law. "

"We did not do that to the degree we needed to That," he added

Mali's army staged a coup in March 2012.

Which Followed in the chaos, militant Islamist and secular rebels Their extended control of the whole of the north - an area of ​​the Sahara Desert larger than France - while the army hardly put up Any resistance.

Meanwhile, French TV has-beens carrying grainy images of air strikes Which Said the military was near the city of Gao.

Malian and Niger security sources reported about the aussi strikes, saying two Islamist bases with fuel stocks and weapons dumps near Gao HAD beens destroyed.

French and Malian troops joined patrols aussi staged for the first time, in the town of Douentza west of Gao, the French news agency AFP Said, quoting Malian sources.

The BBC's Mark Doyle in Mali says a big international troop build-up is likely Continuing ahead of a French-led air and ground offensive against Gao and other desert cities.

There are currently about 2.000 French troops in Mali.

An armed Chadian column of soldiers is making icts way overland to Mali and more than 1.000 Nigerian soldiers are expected there too.

The UN refugee agency says more than Civilians Have Fled to 7.000 Neighbouring countries since 10 January to escape the fighting.

In another development, President Mohammed Morsi Egypt's HAS unveiled a proposal for a peaceful resolution to the conflict Mali.

The five-point plan includes political negotiations, and economic development initiatives and co-ordinated efforts raised. Morsi President Has Spoken against military action in Mali.