Islamists vow to strike 'at heart' of France
2013-01-14 12:38
Bamako - Islamist forces based in northern Mali vowed on Monday
to avenge France's fierce military offensive against them on French soil.
"France has attacked Islam. We will strike at the heart
of France," said a leader of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West
Africa (Mujao), an offshoot of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (Aqim).
Asked where they would strike, Abou Dardar told AFP by
telephone: "Everywhere. In Bamako, in Africa and in Europe."
Authorities in France were already on high alert over fears
of a backlash on home soil by Islamist extremists.
The Mujao official also referred to France's eight hostages
held in the Sahel region.
"We will make a statement on the hostages today. From
today all the mujahedeen are together."
The French offensive has blocked the advance of Islamist
forces towards the capital Bamako from their bases in the north which they have
controlled since last April.
On Sunday, French Rafale fighter planes struck bases used by
al-Qaeda-linked fighters in Gao, the main city in northern Mali, and Kidal.
Sixty Islamists were killed in Gao alone on Sunday, according
to residents and a regional security force.
French warplanes also attacked rebel stockpiles of munitions
and fuel further north at Afhabo, 50km from Kidal, a regional security source
said. The area is a stronghold of Ansar Dine (Defenders of Faith).
Worst Islamist abuses
And they hit a base further east at Lere, near the border
with Mauritania, according to witnesses and a statement from Doctors Without
Borders (MSF).
Algeria on Sunday granted France permission to fly through
its airspace to reach its targets. Previously, Algiers was hostile to any
foreign intervention in Mali.
France launched the operation alongside the Malian army on
Friday to counter a push south by the insurgents who had threatened to advance
on the capital Bamako.
Gao residents said earlier that the French airstrikes had
levelled the Islamists' position and forced them to flee.
"We can see smoke billowing from the base. There isn't
a single Islamist left in town. They have all fled," a teacher said,
speaking on condition of anonymity.
Residents of Timbuktu, which has seen some of the worst
Islamist abuses over the past 10 months, said they were eager for French jets
to arrive.
"Everyone agrees," said one resident, even if
there was a risk that civilians might be killed in such an action. Already, he
said, there was growing panic among the Islamists there.
French President Francois Hollande was to hold a cabinet
meeting devoted to the Mali crisis early on Monday.
And at the request of Paris, the UN Security Council was to
meet later on Monday to discuss the conflict, a spokesperson for France's UN
mission said.
Aides to Hollande described the militants as better trained
and armed than expected.
500 French troops
"What has struck us markedly is how modern their
equipment is and their ability to use it," one said, referring to the
rebels' hit on a French helicopter, which fatally wounded its pilot, France's
only confirmed loss.
Meanwhile a west African intervention force for Mali was
taking shape.
The force has been authorised by the UN Security Council to
help the Malian government reclaim control of the north. It will be commanded
by General Shehu Abdulkadir of Nigeria, which will provide at least 600 men.
Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal and Togo all pledged at least
500 troops this weekend, while Benin said it would send 300. It remained
unclear however when these forces would arrive.
Media reports have said France is deploying about 500 troops
in Mali.
The French mission will be at full strength by Monday,
primarily deployed around Bamako to protect the 6 000-strong expatriate
community, said its commander, Colonel Paul Geze.
The Islamists took advantage of a power vacuum created by a
March military coup to seize control of huge swathes of northern Mali, quickly
imposing an extreme form of Islamic law.
They have destroyed centuries-old mausoleums they see as
heretical, and perceived offenders against their moral code have been subjected
to floggings, amputations and sometimes executions.
France's intervention has been backed by the European Union
and the United States, while Britain is providing logistical support in the
form of transport planes.
- SAPA
