Islamist rebels attack
Mali town (bdnews25.wapamp.com/Dhaka)
Gaoi was controlled by an
Islamist group for several
months before it was liberated
in January Islamist rebels have attacked
Gao in northern Mali, officials
say. The rebels were repelled after
two hours of fierce fighting, a
Malian army official said. He said the insurgents had
slipped past army checkpoints
to enter the town. Gao
residents had raised the
alarm, saying rebels had
entered their neighbourhood. Gao was controlled by an
Islamist group for several
months before it was liberated
in a French-led offensive in
January. The MUJWA Islamist group
had attempted to impose an
extreme form of sharia on the
town. Gao Mayor Sadou Diallo said
the Islamic fighters had
launched Saturday's attack
inside the city's Quatrieme
Quartier, or Fourth District,
and retreated when they were engaged by Malian forces. "There was heavy gunfire.
The situation is under control
now. The Islamists entered
via Quatrieme Quartier, and
the army went to meet them
and was able to push them back," Mr Diallo told the
Associated Press news
agency. "There is another group that
entered via the river, but they
too were pushed back. It's
under control." No death toll was immediately
available after Saturday's
firefight. French intervention Islamist rebels seized vast
swathes of northern Mali a
year ago after a military coup
in the capital Bamako. France intervened militarily in
January amid fears that the
militants were preparing to
advance on Bamako. It
currently has about 4,000
troops in Mali. Mali's army and troops from
several African countries,
including 2,000 from Chad,
have also been involved in
the fighting. Since the intervention began,
major cities including Gao,
Kidal and Timbuktu have been
recaptured but fighting is still
continuing in desert mountains. France plans to withdraw its
troops from Mali next month,
with West African countries
expected to take over in the
run-up to elections due in
July.
Home