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