Tactical Surprise in Small Wars: Lessons from French Wars in Afghanistan and Mali | Small Wars...

"In Mali, rough and partitioned terrain forced French units to “rediscover” infantry maneuvering through the combination of disembarked and embarked warfare. This was particularly true in the Amettetaï valley in the Adrar des Ifoghas Mountains. French soldiers were forced to dismount because of the terrain’s peculiar characteristics and jihadists taking cover in the boulders and caves. The outdoor temperature was high during these operations (50-degrees Celsius) and soldiers had to carry heavy loads. Using dismounted combat patrols was necessary to surprise the enemy in its sanctuary. Jihadists “simply did not expect French troops to come after them under such conditions”[26]. The French army forced its enemy to reveal itself in order to then neutralize it with standoff weapons. As a result: “French have drawn as a “lesson learned” that unless the enemy is already exposed, standoff weapons have to be used in conjunction with “old-fashioned” dismounted infantry.”"