Fighting in Mali intensifies
BAMAKO, MALI — French special forces inched closer to an al-Qaida-held town, fighting erupted in another centre and army troops raced to protect a third, as the Islamic extremists controlling northern Mali ceded no ground Thursday, digging into the areas they already occupy and sending out scouts to widen their reach.
Banamba, a town 150 kilometres northeast of Bamako, the capital, was put on alert overnight Wednesday and a contingent of roughly 100 Malian soldiers sped there Thursday after a reported sighting of jihadists in the vicinity, the closest the extremists have come to the seat of government, officials said.
The first Malian troops arrived in Banamba late-Wednesday, with a second group coming Thursday. The small town is connected by a secondary road to the garrison town of Diabaly, which was taken by Islamic extremists earlier this week, and has been the scene of intense fighting with French military, as French troops continued to move closer, following another night of airstrikes.
To the south of Banamba is the first government-held city, Niono. And another 120 kilometres south is Segou, one of the largest towns in Mali, and the administrative capital of its central region. As refugees from Diabaly continued to flee south, authorities announced a state of alert including the closure of the largest road after sundown, fearing the fighters would try to infiltrate the towns in the south.
A city official in Banamba who insisted on anonymity because he is not authorized to speak to the media, said they had received reports a rebel convoy had left Diabaly on the road headed to Banamba.
France has stepped up its involvement every day, after launching the first air raids last Friday in an effort to stop the rebels’ advance. Thursday, it increased its troop strength to 1,400, said French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian.
After a meeting in Brussels of European Union foreign ministers, Malian Foreign Minister Tieman Hubert Coulibaly said it was necessary to mobilize “the entire international community.”
EU foreign ministers on Thursday approved sending a military training mission to Mali, which will train local soldiers, though they will not take part in combat.
Canada’s C-17 heavy-lift military transport plane touched down on Malian soil Thursday, carrying a French military armoured vehicle among other equipment.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper offered France the plane for one week, but French President François Hollande has asked him to consider extending the mission.