Troops race to defend town near Bamako
Source: Agencies |
January 18, 2013, Friday
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FIGHTING raged in one Mali town, airstrikes hit another and army troops raced to protect a third, on the seventh day of the French-led military intervention to wrest back Mali's north from al-Qaida-linked groups.
Banamba, a town 144 kilometers from Mali's capital Bamako, was put on alert overnight, and a contingent of roughly 100 Malian soldiers sped there yesterday after a reported sighting of jihadists in the vicinity, marking the closest the extremists have come to Mali's largest city and seat of government.
France has encountered fierce resistance from the Islamist groups, whose reach extends not only over a territory the size of Afghanistan in Mali, but also as much as 1,000 kilometers east in Algeria, where fighters belonging to the cells in Mali kidnapped as many as 41 foreigners at a BP-operated plant, including Americans. They had demanded the immediate end of the hostilities in Mali, with a spokesman in Mali saying "no foreigner is safe ... our movement is now global."
The first Malian troops arrived in Banamba on Wednesday, with a second group landing yesterday.
The small town northeast of Bamako is connected by a secondary road to the garrison town of Diabaly, which was taken by the Islamists earlier this week, and has been the scene of intense fighting with French special forces, who were continuing bombardments and a land assault there.
A city official in Banamba involved in getting the Malian troops to defend the town said they received reports a rebel convoy had left Diabaly on the road to Banamba.
"We don't have a base here, we have no defenses. So the military has come to secure the town," he said. "From Monday to today, no jihadists have entered our town. But there are reports that a column was seen heading toward us from Diabaly."
France has stepped up its involvement every day after launching the first air raids last Friday in an effort to stop the rebels' advance, then only as far as Konna, 690 kilometers from the capital.
Fighting erupted anew yesterday in Konna between Islamists and Malian soldiers in the city whose capture by the militants first prompted French military intervention.
Meanwhile, France has increased its troops' strength in Mali to 1,400, said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. "The actions of French forces, be it air forces or ground forces, are ongoing," he said. "They took place yesterday, they took place last night, they took place today, they will take place tomorrow."
Banamba, a town 144 kilometers from Mali's capital Bamako, was put on alert overnight, and a contingent of roughly 100 Malian soldiers sped there yesterday after a reported sighting of jihadists in the vicinity, marking the closest the extremists have come to Mali's largest city and seat of government.
France has encountered fierce resistance from the Islamist groups, whose reach extends not only over a territory the size of Afghanistan in Mali, but also as much as 1,000 kilometers east in Algeria, where fighters belonging to the cells in Mali kidnapped as many as 41 foreigners at a BP-operated plant, including Americans. They had demanded the immediate end of the hostilities in Mali, with a spokesman in Mali saying "no foreigner is safe ... our movement is now global."
The first Malian troops arrived in Banamba on Wednesday, with a second group landing yesterday.
The small town northeast of Bamako is connected by a secondary road to the garrison town of Diabaly, which was taken by the Islamists earlier this week, and has been the scene of intense fighting with French special forces, who were continuing bombardments and a land assault there.
A city official in Banamba involved in getting the Malian troops to defend the town said they received reports a rebel convoy had left Diabaly on the road to Banamba.
"We don't have a base here, we have no defenses. So the military has come to secure the town," he said. "From Monday to today, no jihadists have entered our town. But there are reports that a column was seen heading toward us from Diabaly."
France has stepped up its involvement every day after launching the first air raids last Friday in an effort to stop the rebels' advance, then only as far as Konna, 690 kilometers from the capital.
Fighting erupted anew yesterday in Konna between Islamists and Malian soldiers in the city whose capture by the militants first prompted French military intervention.
Meanwhile, France has increased its troops' strength in Mali to 1,400, said French Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian. "The actions of French forces, be it air forces or ground forces, are ongoing," he said. "They took place yesterday, they took place last night, they took place today, they will take place tomorrow."
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