Story highlights Panetta: "We have a responsibility to go after al Qaeda wherever they are"

The U.S. military could provide logistical and intelligence support for the French, Panetta says

State Department's Nuland says the U.S. would not support the Malian military directly

Nuland: "We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored"

The U.S. military could provide logistical and intelligence support in the French effort against Islamist rebels in Mali, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said Monday.

The U.S. will "provide whatever assistance it can" as part of what Panetta said was the U.S. global efforts against al Qaeda.

"We have a responsibility to go after al Qaeda wherever they are. And we've gone after them in the FATA (Pakistan's Federally Administered Tribal Areas). We're going after them in Yemen and Somalia. And we have a responsibility to make sure that al Qaeda does not establish a base for operations in North Africa and Mali," Panetta told reporters traveling with him to Europe.

The State Department said Monday the United States is in consultation with the French now on a number of requests that they have made for support.

"We are reviewing the requests that they have made," spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said Monday.

Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers transport in a pickup truck a dozen suspected Islamist rebels on Friday, February 8, after arresting them north of Gao. A suicide bomber blew himself up on February 8 near a group of Malian soldiers in the northern city, where Islamist rebels driven from the town have resorted to guerilla attacks. Hide Caption 1 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians look at the charred motorcycle used by a suicide bomber before he blew himself up near a group of Malian soldiers on February 8. The act marked the first suicide attack in the embattled west African nation since the start of a French-led offensive to oust the Islamists from Mali's north, where they had controlled key towns for 10 months. Hide Caption 2 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Photos: Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A convoy of French army vehicles head toward Gao on February 7. France is mulling over when to hand off its four-week-old intervention to U.N. peacekeepers. Hide Caption 3 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man searches through the ruins of a building destroyed by French airstrikes in Douentza, Mali, on Tuesday, February 5. The town was retaken by French and Malian troops in January. Hide Caption 4 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A child holds up a machine gun round found in the ruins of a building destroyed by French airstrikes in Douentza, Mali, on February 5. Hide Caption 5 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A child leads a donkey cart past a destroyed Malian army armored vehicle near Douentza, Mali, on February 5. Hide Caption 6 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians welcome France's President Francois Hollande as he arrives in Timbuktu on Saturday, February 2. French-led troops are working to secure the area against Islamist militants. Hide Caption 7 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man sweeps the red carpet at Mali's Mopti airport on January 2 before the arrival of Hollande and Mali's interim President Dioncounda Traore. Hide Caption 8 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers patrol next to the Djingareyber mosque, on January 31, in Timbuktu, Mali. The city was recaptured on January 28, by French-led forces in their offensive against Islamist rebels who have been occupying Mali's north since last April. Hide Caption 9 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French air strikes destroyed this vehicle outside the northern Malian city of Gao. Hide Caption 10 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Men play boules, a game that was forbidden under Islamist rule. on January Wednesday, 30, in Gao, Mali. Gao, once a key Islamist stronghold, was retaken on January 26 by French and Malian troops. Hide Caption 11 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier tries to disperse looters in Timbuktu, Mali, on Tuesday, January 29. Malian and French forces have been battling Islamist militants to loosen their grip on the country. France was the colonial power in Mali until 1960. Hide Caption 12 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – People cheer along a road in Ansongo, a town near the northern Malian city of Gao, as troops from neighboring Niger enter the city. Hide Caption 13 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man waves a French flag as residents celebrate the arrival of Niger troops on January 29 in Ansongo. Hide Caption 14 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Niger troops enter Ansongo on January 29. Hide Caption 15 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers enter the historic city of Timbuktu on Monday, January 28. Hide Caption 16 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers flying back from Timbuktu arrive at the French army base camp in Sevare on January 28. Hide Caption 17 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A man prays in the recently liberated town of Douentza on January 28. Hide Caption 18 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Wounded Malian soldiers rest after receiving medical care at the Polyclinique of Kati on Sunday, January 27. Hide Caption 19 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers wait at a checkpoint near Sevare on January 27. Hide Caption 20 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier walks through the bush in central Mali on January 27. Hide Caption 21 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers wait at a checkpoint near Sevare on January 27. Hide Caption 22 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier stands amid debris Saturday, January 26, in the key central town of Konna, which has been under French and Malian army control since last week. It was taken on January 11 by Islamist groups. Hide Caption 23 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers walk past the bullet-riddled wall of a house in Konna on Saturday, January 26. Hide Caption 24 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier looks at the wreckage of an Islamist rebel's armed pickup truck in Konna. Hide Caption 25 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Ammunition lies on the ground in Konna. Hide Caption 26 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers escort journalists in Konna. Hide Caption 27 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers patrol a street of Diabaly on January 26. Hide Caption 28 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Ali Ag Noh, right, stands with his family in front of his house on Friday, Janurary 25, in the village of Seribala, Mali, after his cousin and brother-in-law, Aboubakrim Ag Mohamed, and a cattle rancher, Samba Dicko, were shot dead on January 24, allegedly by the Malian Army. According to Noh, Mohamed, a Tuareg, and Dicko were shot in the head in Seribala after being accused by two Malian soldiers of being Islamists or aiding Islamists. Hide Caption 29 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Members of the French army arrive at a base camp in Sevare, Mali, on January 25. French and Malian troops advanced on the key Islamist stronghold of Gao after recapturing the northern town of Hombori as the extremists bombed a strategic bridge to thwart a new front planned in the east. Hide Caption 30 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers ride a motorcycle in a street of Merkala, on Thursday, January 24, 2013 as the first of the 6,000 troops pledged by African nations to support France started heading north. Hide Caption 31 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier armed with a machine gun watches a herd of cattle crossing a bridge over the Niger River on January 24. Mali's military offensive against militants controlling the northern half of the country has gathered pace in the past two weeks, with backing from France and other international allies. Hide Caption 32 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French army convoy travels near Segou, in south-central Mali, is on its way to Diabaly on January 24. Hide Caption 33 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A woman who fled northern Mali sits at a camp for internally displaced persons in Sevare on Wednesday, January 23. The EU announced 20 million euros of extra humanitarian aid to help Malians fleeing fighting, its second such donation in as many months. Hide Caption 34 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A soldier rides on the back of a scooter outside Diabaly on January 23. Hide Caption 35 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malians walk past a destroyed truck mounted with a machine gun on Tuesday, January 22. The truck was used by militants and destroyed during airstrikes by the French air force. Hide Caption 36 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers patrol Diabaly on January 22. Hide Caption 37 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers walk past destroyed army barracks as they patrol in Diabaly on January 22, 2013. Hide Caption 38 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier mans his post on January 22 near the city of Diabaly, Mali. Hide Caption 39 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier stands guard in front of charred pickups used by Islamist rebels in Diabaly, Mali, on Monday, January 21. The Malian military says it has gained control of the town of Diabaly, a key advance in the battle against Islamist militants in the north. Hide Caption 40 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier walks past a army building that was taken by the jihadists before being destroyed during aerial bombing in Diabaly on January 21. Hide Caption 41 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier searches through debris after aerial bombing in the city of Diabaly on January 21. Hide Caption 42 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier looks around after arriving in Diabaly on January 21. Hide Caption 43 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers unload military equipment from an aircraft on January 21. Hide Caption 44 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian youths look on as French soldiers drive through Niono on Sunday, January 20. Hide Caption 45 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – The French Army conducts operations in Mali on January 20. Hide Caption 46 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier holds a machine gun on top of a jeep on the road back from the town of Mopti, Mali, on Saturday, January 19. Hide Caption 47 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers of the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment stand with their equipment in front of a helicopter on January 19 at an airbase near Bamako, Mali. French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said on January 19 that France now had 2,000 troops on the ground in Mali as part of a drive against Islamist militants holding the north of the country. Hide Caption 48 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers of the 5th Combat Helicopter Regiment relax on January 19 at the airbase near Bamako. Hide Caption 49 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French soldier from the helicopter regiment stands guard at the airbase on January 19. Hide Caption 50 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers check the identity of passengers in a bus coming from Mopti on January 19. Hide Caption 51 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French President Francois Hollande, left, speaks with soldiers who are due to leave for Mali, during a meeting in Tulle, France, on January 19. Hide Caption 52 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers sit in a truck on their way to Niono, Mali, on Friday, January 18. Hide Caption 53 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian child looks out from a bus as Malian army soldiers check vehicles and passengers in the city of Niono on Friday, January 18. Malian troops, with help from France and a U.N.-mandated African force, are fighting al Qaeda-linked Islamist militants. Hide Caption 54 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers man a checkpoint in Niono on January 18. Hide Caption 55 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Togolese troops board a plane to Bamako, Mali, on Thursday, January 17, at the Lome airport in Togo. Troops from West African countries are heading to Mali as part of a U.N.-mandated African force to fight the insurgents. Hide Caption 56 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Helmets belonging to soldiers of the Nigerian army are prepared to be sent to Mali at the Nigerian army peacekeeping center near Kaduna, Nigeria, on January 17. Hide Caption 57 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian soldiers stand guard as Mali's President Dioncounda Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako, Mali, on Wednesday, January 16. Hide Caption 58 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A Malian soldier adjusts his weapon as President Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako on January 16. Hide Caption 59 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French army soldiers stand on armoured vehicles as they leave Bamako and start their deployment to the north of Mali as part of the Serval operation on Tuesday, January 15. Hide Caption 60 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French flag is hung on a van in Bamako as French troops start a deployment in the north of Mali on Wednesday. Hide Caption 61 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French troops prepare their Sagaie armoured all terrain vehicles from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday. Hide Caption 62 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French troops from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, arrive at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday to reinforce the Serval operations, before their deployment in the north of Mali. Hide Caption 63 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian police patrol in the capital of Bamako on Sunday, January 13. Hide Caption 64 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Malian police patrol Bamako on Sunday. Hide Caption 65 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A British army Boeing C-17 cargo plane from British Brize Norton base lands Sunday at the Evreux military base in France to take supplies to Bamako. Hide Caption 66 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French soldiers prepare cargo for a British plane en route to Bamako on Sunday at the Evreux military base. Hide Caption 67 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – A French armored vehicle rolls onto a British army aircraft to be taken to Bamako on Sunday in Evreux. Hide Caption 68 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Workers adjust chains on a vehicle load in the C-17 in Evreux on Sunday. Hide Caption 69 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Internally displaced Malians from Timbuktu chat at a makeshift cafe in Bamako on Sunday. Hide Caption 70 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – French President Francois Hollande, right, speaks with members of Malian associations in France during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Sunday. Hide Caption 71 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Muslim men protest French military action in Mali outside the French Embassy in central London on Saturday, January 12. About 50 Muslim protesters gathered outside the embassy. Hide Caption 72 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – Protesters wave signs outside the French Embassy on Saturday in London. Hide Caption 73 of 74 Photos: Photos: Fighting Islamists in Mali Mali military battles Islamist insurgents – The interim president of Mali, Dioncounda Traore, speaks after a ministerial Cabinet meeting in Bamako on Friday, January 11. Malian authorities declared a state of emergency throughout the country on Friday as the army launched a counteroffensive against Islamists who were pushing south. Hide Caption 74 of 74

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The U.S., she said, is "not in the position to support the Malian military directly until we have democratic processes restored by way of an election in Mali. We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored."

Panetta described the assistance as both logistical and intelligence. The United States already has started sharing intelligence from satellites and intercepted signals with the French, defense officials said Monday. In addition, the Pentagon is considering sending refueling tankers so that French jets can fly longer, more sustained combat mission, according to the officials.

Drones "are under consideration," according to defense officials, though the military's stash of unmanned aerial vehicles are in heavy demand.

"That's one of the things we're working through now, is how many and from where we'd be able to provide those assets," said one of the officials, noting that drones are being used in other conflict areas such as Afghanistan and Yemen.

Although both caveat that these would be surveillance drones and said there are no plans yet to deploy armed unmanned aerial vehicles.

The officials also say another intelligence-gathering assets under consideration are piloted planes.

"There's no real air defenses to speak of in Mali, outside of AQIM firing guns in the air. So anything we send does not have to be our most secretive, less detectable equipment," one of the officials aid.

The US also considering giving "airlift capacity" to the effort, similar to what the British have provided in two cargo planes, according to the officials. This "would help the French with moving equipment, vehicles and people" to where they're needed in Mali, the officials said.

Panetta said al Qaeda's Mali affiliate, Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, is not an immediate threat to the U.S. homeland but does pose a risk if it gains a foothold. U.S. officials have said the group was tied to the attack on the U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi, Libya.

"While they might not have any immediate plans for attacks in the United States and in Europe, that ultimately still remains their objective and it's for that reason that we have to take steps now to ensure that AQIM does not get that kind of traction," Panetta said, according to a transcript of Panetta's remarks to reporters.