French prepare for attack on "last Islamist stronghold"
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says the French army was launching new airstrikes in Mali aimed at fuel depots and safe havens for Islamic extremists.
Monday, 04.02.2013.
13:12
PARIS French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius says the French army was launching new airstrikes in Mali aimed at fuel depots and safe havens for Islamic extremists. Fabius told French radio that the latest attacks were carried out overnight in the Kidal region, near the border with Algeria. French prepare for attack on "last Islamist stronghold" Kidal is considered to be "the last bastion of radical Islamists" who seized it last year and sparked fears that the region, by area bigger than France, was becoming a haven "for Al-Qaeda fighters". "They cannot stay there for a long time if they do not have supplies," said the French minister. He added that the current attacks were part of a broader effort to cut off supply routes to radical insurgents, who at one point took control of much of the country and imposed "strict rules to the population", according to reports. Fabius also stated that the French army was working to quickly withdraw its troops from the historic town of Timbuktu - "maybe even tomorrow". "We wish to very quickly hand over the responsibility for the security to African forces - AFISMA, in the cities that we control," he said. The French army is in control of Timbuktu and other cities in the north of Mali. French President Francois Hollande visited two days ago Mali to support the French troops, and to argue in favor of their replacement as soon as possible with African forces. Laurent Fabius is seen in Timbuktu on Saturday (Beta/AP) Tanjug
French prepare for attack on "last Islamist stronghold"
Kidal is considered to be "the last bastion of radical Islamists" who seized it last year and sparked fears that the region, by area bigger than France, was becoming a haven "for Al-Qaeda fighters"."They cannot stay there for a long time if they do not have supplies," said the French minister.
He added that the current attacks were part of a broader effort to cut off supply routes to radical insurgents, who at one point took control of much of the country and imposed "strict rules to the population", according to reports.
Fabius also stated that the French army was working to quickly withdraw its troops from the historic town of Timbuktu - "maybe even tomorrow".
"We wish to very quickly hand over the responsibility for the security to African forces - AFISMA, in the cities that we control," he said.
The French army is in control of Timbuktu and other cities in the north of Mali.
French President Francois Hollande visited two days ago Mali to support the French troops, and to argue in favor of their replacement as soon as possible with African forces.
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