Pro-autonomy Tuareg rebels in Mali said on Tuesday they had occupied the northeastern town of Menaka, seeking to extend their presence as they push for talks with the government after the retreat of al-Qaeda-linked insurgents.

It was not possible to independently verify whether the MNLA’s fighters had entered Menaka, some 250 km (156 miles) southeast of their stronghold of Kidal. Menaka was a cradle of their uprising last year that seized northern Mali but was subsequently hijacked by al-Qaeda and its allies.

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At least four people, including a Frenchman, have been killed in a raid on a bank by suspected separatist rebels in Senegal’s Casamance region.

The Senegalese army said rebels from the Casamance Movement for Democratic Forces attacked Credit Mutuel bank in Kafountine on Friday.

It was not clear how the civilians, including the Frenchman, were killed.

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The Joint Task Force (JTF) in Borno State has launched attacks on two separate camps allegedly belonging to Boko Haram members in the state, killing 17 of the sect members.

A statement issued on Friday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital by the JTF spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sagir Musa, revealed that the two special operations supported by the Nigerian Air force Helicopter gunship were aimed at dislodging Boko Haram members from their hideouts.

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French forces say they have entered Kidal in the north of Mali, the last major town they have yet to secure in their drive against Islamist militants.

A number of French aircraft, including helicopters, had landed overnight at Kidal airport.

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French and Malian forces have retaken the northern Malian cities of Gao and Timbuktu from Islamist rebels, security officials said Monday.

Coalition troops, backed by French warplanes, took the airport in Timbuktu early Monday and moved into the city center, which had been held by the Islamist rebels since June.

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French forces, backed by US logistical support, headed for the mystical town of Timbuktu on Sunday, scattering the remaining al-Qaeda backed rebels seeking to create a new Afghanistan in the desert nation of Mali.

Saturday, the French military’s website reported the capture of Gao, the last major town held by the Islamists.

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French-led forces seized control of an airport and a key bridge in Mali’s northern city of Gao on Saturday, making significant inroads into the Islamist stronghold.

French forces have taken control of the airport and a key bridge in the radical Islamist stronghold of Gao, the French defense minister said Saturday, marking a significant inroad into the heart of territory held by the al-Qaeda-linked extremists.

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