PARIS — French warplanes have blasted command centers, training camps and depots run by extremists in the mountains of north Mali, the French military said Thursday. The “fairly significant” air strikes were carried out over the past few days in the Aguelhok region near the border with Algeria, military spokesman colonel Thierry Burkhard told reporters in Paris. Aguelhok lies north of Kidal, the last town occupied by militants where Wednesday French troops took control of the airport ahead of seeking to secure the town itself. Burkhard said a column of 1,400 Chadian soldiers — part of a regional African force being set up to help chase out the rebels — was heading by road towards Kidal from the Niger border. France swept to Mali's aid on Jan. 11 as the Islamists, who had ruled the north for months, advanced south towards the capital Bamako, sparking fears the whole country could become a haven for terrorists. France now has 3,500 troops on the ground. Meanwhile, a landmine killed two Malian soldiers territory recaptured from rebels, a sign the extremists remain a threat despite being routed by a French-led offensive. The United Nations was speeding up possible plans to incorporate African troops slowly deploying in Mali into a formal UN peacekeeping force. On the ground, at least two Malian soldiers were killed when their vehicle drove over a mine between the central towns of Douentza and Hombori, a Malian security source said, saying it was suspected to have been planted by rebels. Mali's president has ruled out any talks with the radicals who have occupied the north for 10 months, and accused rebels holding Kidal — who have said they want a peaceful solution — of merely “looking for a way out”. France's Defense Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said he supported a mooted UN peacekeeping force for Mali, saying it would be “very positive.” Meanwhile, French soldiers remained at Kidal's airport, after being blocked by a sandstorm. “French forces are in Kidal and holding the airport until such time as they, and other African troops, can secure the town,” said Le Drian. Paris has urged dialogue between “non-armed terrorist groups” in the north and Mali's interim government for a long-term solution to the woes of the country which straddles the Sahara desert and the region to the south known as the Sahel. Tuareg desert nomads in the north have long felt marginalized by Bamako, and last January rebels launched the latest in a string of insurgencies, kickstarting Mali's rapid implosion. — Agencies
