Tuaregs attack 5th town in Mali

2012-01-26 21:25

Bamako - A local official in Mali confirmed that Tuareg fighters had opened a fifth front, attacking a town in the centre of the country only hours after attacking one in the remote east.

Cheickna Dicko, the mayor of the town of Lere, said by telephone from Bamako on Thursday that his town had been attacked by the Tuareg faction.

He said he did not have a clear picture of what had happened because residents were still hiding inside their homes.

Moussa Ag Acharatoumane of the rebel National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad confirmed that his group had struck Lere.

Earlier he had confirmed that the rebel group had taken Anderamboukane, a town in the east, bringing to five the number of towns that the little-known group has attacked since launching their insurgency last week.

- AP