First clashes between Islamist rebels and French troops in the town of Diabaly

Clash erupted between Al-Qaida- linked rebels and the Malian and French ground troops in Diabaly, 400 km from the capital Bamako, after they were surrounded, a security source told on Wednesday, January 16, 2013. Al-Qaida's North African branch AQIM briefly seized Diabaly on Monday, January 14, in a counter-attack launched from the west along the Mali- Mauritania border.

A convoy of French armored vehicle ERC 90 Sagaie was spotted late Tuesday, January 15, 2013, heading toward Diabaly, the strategic town seized by the extremist militants a day earlier.

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