Desert commandos: special operators say training goes both ways.

• Author: Magnuson, Stew
• Position: Special Ops IN AFRICA - Cover story

BAMAKO, Mali -- The day began at Bamako's international airport as the Malian army's 33rd parachute commando regimen lined up in the pre-dawn darkness to aboard a U.S. Air Force C-130 transport.

Despite the early hour, the paratroopers were pumped up. The soldiers began singing in Bambara, the nation's predominant language. The Malian air force doesn't have transport aircraft approaching the size of a C-130, so the opportunity to jump comes only a few times per year.

Standing beside them and directing traffic were members of a U.S. special operations force A-team. Their parachutes were packed and ready to go.

The event was part of a joint combined exchange training taking place under the auspices of a State Department program, the Trans-Sahara Counter Terrorism Initiative. While the larger goal is to stop Islamic extremism from making inroads in nine North and West African countries, on a smaller scale, trainers said that it's a mutually beneficial relationship.

"The most important part for us is learning how to work with and advise indigenous forces," said the team leader. "That's part of our function. It doesn't matter if you're doing it in a training environment or a wartime environment. It's the same kind of inter personal and communications skills."

For security reasons, members of the team could only be identified by their title.

An hour later and 15 miles on the other side of Bamako, the C-130 began to drop about 10 to 12 jumpers on each run, including members of the special forces team, who used the opportunity to put in some required training and a bit of jump pay.

It would have been hard to find nastier ground to fall on in this landlocked nation. The soil at the drop sight was composed of jagged, hard-packed volcanic rock. A contingent of Malian and U.S. embassy dignitaries watched as the paratroopers floated into the brush. Despite the unforgiving ground, there were only minor injuries.

A high-altitude, low-open jump with both Americans and Malians participating ended the first half of the exercise.

Later that day, the Malians and the trainers gathered at a rally point to begin an assault on a mock terrorist training camp.

The paratroopers moved stealthily through the scrub brush, down into a muddy ravine, and paused in a grove of mango trees as a senior officer moved forward with a small team to make a final check on the target. After he radioed his approval, the troops maneuvered into position and the assault began.

With the trainers at their backs, the paratroopers moved forward, then swept through the target.

It was a first for EUCOM trainers, said the company commander of the 1st battalion, 10th special forces group (Airborne), based in Stuttgart, Germany. They had never combined a jump with a tactical assault on the same day. In such an operation...