Military Review English Edition November-December 2014 | Page 86

and west of Mali. The jihadist armed groups avoided direct engagements, while the brigade carried out a series of cordon and search operations on suspected weapons caches. Lessons from phase 2, clearing the Gao Region and the Adrar des Ifoghas. In the fighting phase, French units capitalized on their combat experience in Afghanistan. Many soldiers of Operation Serval fought in the valleys of Kapisa province as late as summer 2011. The French losses in Mali remained low because of their high tactical proficiency and the quality of their body armor and helmets, themselves a legacy of lessons learned in Afghanistan. Medical support also maintained operational standards developed in Afghanistan, from individual kits to forward lifesaving surgery modules, treating Chadian and French wounded in large numbers as well as noncombat injuries due to dehydration or fractures. Combat support involved the whole range of fires from mortars to laser-guided bombs. New digital equipment facilitated the work of tactical air control parties, helicopter pilots, and infantry fighting-vehicle crews, but dismounted infantry units d Y