Malia army seizes major town from rebels
2013-01-10 15:00
Bamako - Mali's army forced Islamist rebels out of an
important north-eastern town on Wednesday, a senior army official said, the
first major pushback by government forces since the north of the country fell
to insurgents last year.
"The army has retaken Douentza, we just had
confirmation that the jihadists have withdrawn following the clash," an
officer at the military junta headquarters told Reuters on Thursday, requesting
not to be named.
It was not immediately possible to independently confirm the
ouster of rebels from Douentza, which they seized in September. The town is an
important gateway between north and south Mali, about 600km northeast of the
capital Bamako.
A Douentza resident said that, though the Islamists withdrew
following heavy fighting, the army was not inside the town.
Clashes involving heavy artillery were also recorded in
other localities in the Mopti region and in Konna, a senior army officer at the
Mali defence ministry said.
The renewed fighting could quash hopes of a breakthrough at
peace talks between the Malian government, the rebels and separatist Tuaregs
which were scheduled to start in Burkina Faso on Thursday but have been
postponed until 21 January.
