Mali forces in control of Douentza
2013-01-22 13:25
Segou - Malian forces on Tuesday held control of the
strategic town that was under extreme Islamist rule for four months, as the
French-led military intervention pushed northward in its second week.
Douentza had been the outer edge of Islamist rebel control
until the militants surged southward earlier this month. While far from the
capital, Douentza is only 190km from Mopti, which marks the line-of-control
held by the Malian military.
On Monday, French and Malian troops arrived in Douentza to
find that the Islamists already had retreated from the town, local adviser Sali
Maiga told The Associated Press.
A convoy of pickup trucks carrying bearded men had entered
Douentza back in September, and in the months that followed the Islamist
extremists forced women to wear veils and enlisted children as young as 12 as
soldiers in training.
The announcement that Douentza was again in government hands
came on Monday, the same day French and Malian forces again patrolled the streets
of Diabaly after nearly a week of Islamist rule.
The presence of Malian soldiers in the two towns marks
tangible accomplishments for the French-led mission, which began on 11 January after
the rebels pushed south and seized the central Malian town of Konna. That
seizure had marked the furthest south the Islamists had ventured since taking
control of northern Mali's main cities following a March 2012 coup in Bamako,
the capital in Mali's south.
France said Monday there are now about 1 000 African troops
in Mali to take part in the military intervention. Colonel Thierry Burkhard, the
French military spokesperson, said the soldiers come from Nigeria, Togo, Benin,
Niger and Chad.
France has 2 150 forces in Mali, and said it could exceed 2 500
at full deployment in the former French colony.
It has received logistical support from Western allies and
intelligence from the United States but the French ultimately hope that West
African soldiers will take the lead alongside Malian troops in securing the
country.
Neighbouring African countries are ultimately expected to
contribute around 3 000 troops but concerns about the mission have delayed some
from sending their promised troops.
- SAPA
