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French troops in Mali take Kidal, last Islamist holdout
Source: BBC
31 January 2013 Last updated at 01:01 GMT
French troops in Mali take Kidal, last Islamist holdout
French forces have secured the northern Malian town of Kidal, the last main stronghold of Islamist rebels in the region, military officials say.
Militant Islamist fighters had already left the town, near the Algerian border, and are believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains.
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The BBC's Thomas Fessy in Timbuktu says the capture of Kidal marks the end of the first phase of the military operation to oust militants from northern Mali.
France is now expecting the deployment of thousands of African forces to support the second phase - driving the al-Qaeda-linked fighters from their desert hideouts.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
French troops in Mali take Kidal, last Islamist holdout
French forces have secured the northern Malian town of Kidal, the last main stronghold of Islamist rebels in the region, military officials say.
Militant Islamist fighters had already left the town, near the Algerian border, and are believed to be hiding in the surrounding mountains.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
The BBC's Thomas Fessy in Timbuktu says the capture of Kidal marks the end of the first phase of the military operation to oust militants from northern Mali.
France is now expecting the deployment of thousands of African forces to support the second phase - driving the al-Qaeda-linked fighters from their desert hideouts.
[font size=1]-snip-[/font]
Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-21271345
