French and Malian troops took control of the airport and bridge on the outskirts of Gao, the biggest city in northern Mali and a major Islamist stronghold, as the operation to oust the al-Qaeda linked rebels gathered pace on Saturday.
Advancing under the cover of darkness, French special forces backed by helicopters and jets captured the airstrip without suffering casualties, the French army said. A dozen Islamist fighters were reported to have been killed.
The assault on Gao is the most significant move of France’s military intervention in Mali, which began on January 11 after the rebels advanced south in the direction of the capital Bamako from northern Mali.
French and local troops were also reported on Saturday to be closing on Timbuktu, another key rebel-held city. Information was difficult to verify as journalists were kept far from the cities and mobile communications were cut.
After a slow first week, during which the aim was simply to stop the Islamist advance, “Operation Serval” has gathered momentum in recent days as France sought to flush the rebels out of their bases. The latest attack on Saturday was preceded by about 30 air strikes on Islamist positions in Gao and Timbuktu. Kidal, the third Islamist stronghold, is further north, near a mountainous area that may offer the rebels a chance to hide and regroup.
Unable to defend themselves from French jets, Islamist forces have retreated from the frontline towns, with Malian ground troops encountering no resistance as they moved into Konna and Douentza in central Mali.
After taking control of the airport and bridge to the south of Gao, the French army on Saturday said that it was still coming under sporadic fire from militants in the city.
“The jihadist terrorists who confronted the Malian and French armies saw many of their mobile means and logistic sites destroyed,” the French defence ministry said in a statement.
It added that the mayor of Gao, Sadou Diallo, had returned to the city from Bamako, where he had taken refuge.
Gao was under the control of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in west Africa, which is allied to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Both are considered terror groups by western countries. The third leg of the rebel alliance is Ansar Dine, a mainly Malian Tuareg Islamist movement.
France has 2,500 troops in Mali but does not want them on the ground for long. Mali’s army remains weak, and up to 6,000 African soldiers are supposed to be arriving as part of a UN-approved force called AFISMA.
Some 1,900 African soldiers have been deployed so far but logistical and financial constraints mean the mission is proceeding slower than was hoped. The French defence ministry said troops from Chad and Niger would be flown in to Gao to help secure the city. A long column of Chadian armoured vehicles left Niger’s capital Niamey on Saturday, headed in the direction of the Malian border
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Advancing under the cover of darkness, French special forces backed by helicopters and jets captured the airstrip without suffering casualties, the French army said. A dozen Islamist fighters were reported to have been killed.
The assault on Gao is the most significant move of France’s military intervention in Mali, which began on January 11 after the rebels advanced south in the direction of the capital Bamako from northern Mali.
French and local troops were also reported on Saturday to be closing on Timbuktu, another key rebel-held city. Information was difficult to verify as journalists were kept far from the cities and mobile communications were cut.
After a slow first week, during which the aim was simply to stop the Islamist advance, “Operation Serval” has gathered momentum in recent days as France sought to flush the rebels out of their bases. The latest attack on Saturday was preceded by about 30 air strikes on Islamist positions in Gao and Timbuktu. Kidal, the third Islamist stronghold, is further north, near a mountainous area that may offer the rebels a chance to hide and regroup.
Unable to defend themselves from French jets, Islamist forces have retreated from the frontline towns, with Malian ground troops encountering no resistance as they moved into Konna and Douentza in central Mali.
After taking control of the airport and bridge to the south of Gao, the French army on Saturday said that it was still coming under sporadic fire from militants in the city.
“The jihadist terrorists who confronted the Malian and French armies saw many of their mobile means and logistic sites destroyed,” the French defence ministry said in a statement.
It added that the mayor of Gao, Sadou Diallo, had returned to the city from Bamako, where he had taken refuge.
Gao was under the control of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in west Africa, which is allied to al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb. Both are considered terror groups by western countries. The third leg of the rebel alliance is Ansar Dine, a mainly Malian Tuareg Islamist movement.
France has 2,500 troops in Mali but does not want them on the ground for long. Mali’s army remains weak, and up to 6,000 African soldiers are supposed to be arriving as part of a UN-approved force called AFISMA.
Some 1,900 African soldiers have been deployed so far but logistical and financial constraints mean the mission is proceeding slower than was hoped. The French defence ministry said troops from Chad and Niger would be flown in to Gao to help secure the city. A long column of Chadian armoured vehicles left Niger’s capital Niamey on Saturday, headed in the direction of the Malian border
Copyright The Financial Times Limited 2013. You may share using our article tools.
Please don't cut articles from FT.com and redistribute by email or post to the web.