Al Qarra - French troops are on their way to Ségou and Markala, cities on the edge of rebel-controlled territories. The armored tanks left Bamako on Thursday night to advance towards the North where the Malian army is fighting Islamists militants. The rebels are linked to the terrorist group Al- Qaeda in the Islamist Maghreb. Ground combat started on Wednesday after a week of airstrikes.

The Malian army on Friday has claimed its soldiers have recaptured the strategic central town of Konna. France announced the increase of its troops to 1.400. Meanwhile, the deployment of West African troops has started. Some hundred Togolese and Nigerian soldiers landed in Bamako on Thursday. They were welcomed by Malians and French.