Malian troops patrol key town Diabaly
2013-01-22 14:32
Diabaly - Malian soldiers on Tuesday patrolled Diabaly to
buttress their presence in the central town, which they seized with another key
outpost from radical Islamists with the help of French troops.
The breakthrough drove al Qaeda-linked rebels out of key
positions in government-held areas, where their advance toward the capital
Bamako spurred former colonial power France to launch an offensive 12 days ago.
In Diabaly, 400km north of Bamako, French troops handed over
charge of the town to Malian soldiers after driving out the Islamists on
Monday, an AFP journalist said.
"Our mission is not to stay here, we will leave the
town to the Malians," French Colonel Frederic, not giving his last name in
line with army policy, told AFP on Monday night.
Residents applauded wildly, yelling "Long Live
France!" as the troops rolled into the town as part of the offensive which
has won wide international backing.
France swept to Mali's aid ten months after it lost over
half its territory to Islamists who have imposed brutal sharia law in northern
towns, amid rising fears that the vast zone could become a new Afghanistan-like
haven for al-Qaeda.
Malian army chief General Ibrahima Dahirou Dembele said on Monday's
victory came after "aerial support from our French partners neutralised
all the enemy vehicles and enemy fighters who were in the town and around
Diabaly".
Total liberation
Diabaly was seized by Islamists in a surprise attack several
days after the French began pounding their positions with air strikes.
Along with the town of Konna 100km west of Diabaly - also
since re-captured - the Islamists gained control of strategic points at the
narrow centre of the bow-tie shaped nation.
Speaking in an interview with French radio RFI, Dembele said
the French-backed army was forging ahead for "the total liberation of
northern Mali".
"If the support remains consistent, it wont take more
than a month to free Gao and Timbuktu," he said, referring to two of three
main cities along with Kidal, in the vast, semi-arid north which has been
occupied for ten months.
These towns have been subjected to brutal sharia law by the
Islamists, who have whipped smokers and drinkers, banned music, forced women to
wear veils and long robes, amputated the limbs of thieves and stoned adulterers
to death.
