Mali Army Secures Central Town of Konna as Troops Land

French forces in Mali reached 2,000 as they prepare to support West African soldiers arriving to join the conflict in the desert north.

Yesterday, Mali’s army secured the central town of Konna three days after French fighter jets drove out Islamist rebels. The battle lasted almost 48 hours, Colonel Didier Dakouo, the head of the central Sevare military base, said on state-owned Office de Radio Diffusion Télévision du Mali yesterday.