Malian and French forces yesterday pursued house-to-house searches for rebels in Gao.
Malian and French troops yesterday, February 12, 2013 continued carrying out house-to-house searches in the northern town of Gao, following running battles with Islamist militants on Sunday, BBC said. However, Gao was calmer following the surprise attack by militants on Malian troops in the town.
Soldiers in armoured vehicles also reinforced locations and sandbagged road checkpoints at the entrances to Gao, ready for further attacks from bands of rebels who were reported to be hiding in the surrounding desert scrub, Al Jazeera TV reported. Sunday's fighting lasted for about four hours. Suspected suicide bombers reportedly tried to reach the positions of the Malian army while other militants were said to be riding with explosives on motorcycles around town. After Malian soldiers came under fire from heavier weaponry, including rocket-propelled grenades, French troops sent in armoured vehicles and attack helicopters to provide back-up.
Tension was still high in Gao yesterday as dozens of people converged downtown to see the headquarters of the former Islamic Police transformed into a pile of rubble. Jihadi fighters were hiding there on Sunday when a French attack helicopter destroyed the building. The French cordoned off the area to carry out controlled explosions of grenades left behind by the Islamist militants.
Meanwhile, the Malian government is said to be hesitant about the deployment of a UN peacekeeping force, a senior UN official said yesterday. Deputy Secretary General, Jan Eliasson said the UN was yet to receive the green light from the government on the matter, though other countries were increasingly in favour of the option.
Islamist militants recently chased out of northern Malian towns are now hiding in Adrar des Ifoghas, a rugged, rocky expanse of land in the north-east of the country on the border with Algeria, the New York Times said. Expelling them from there will be a tall order, given the region’s harsh conditions, inaccessibility and innumerable hide-outs.
