French faces fierce resistance in Mali

BAMAKO, Mali -- French special forces inched closer to an al-Qaida-held town, fighting erupted in another center and army troops raced to protect a third, as the Islamic extremists controlling northern Mali ceded no ground yesterday, digging into the areas they already occupy and sending out scouts to widen their reach.

Banamba, a town just 90 miles from the capital, Bamako, was put on alert overnight and a contingent of roughly 100 Malian soldiers sped there yesterday after a reported sighting of jihadists in the vicinity, the closest the extremists have come to the seat of government of this West African country, officials said.

France has encountered fierce resistance from the extremist groups, whose tentacles extend not only over a territory the size of Afghanistan in Mali, but also another 600 miles to the east in Algeria.

The first Malian troops arrived in Banamba late Wednesday, with a second group coming yesterday.

The small town northeast of Bamako is connected by a secondary road to the garrison town of Diabaly, which was taken by Islamic extremists earlier this week, and has been the scene of intense fighting with French military, as French troops continued to move closer, following another night of airstrikes.

To the south of Banamba, flanked by emerald rice fields, and crisscrossed by irrigation canals, is the first government-held city, Niono. And another 75 miles south is Segou, one of the largest towns in Mali, and the administrative capital of its central region.

As refugees from Diabaly continued to flee south, authorities announced a state of alert including the closure of the largest road after sundown, fearing that the al-Qaida-linked fighters would try to infiltrate the towns in the south.

"Starting at 6 p.m. tomorrow night, the road between Segou and Niono, the M33 highway, will be closed," said the Prefect of Niono, Seydou Traore. "Neither cars, nor motorcycles, nor people on foot will be able to travel, as a security measure."