US military action in Mali would open a new front against jihadists — and place American forces close to Russia’s Africa Corps

US military action in Mali would open a new front against jihadists — and place American forces close to Russia’s Africa Corps

The reported deliberations are not simply about striking an al-Qaeda affiliate. Any American operation would enter a fragmented conflict in which Russian forces support Mali’s junta, jihadists control strategic routes and Western access to the central Sahel has sharply contracted.…