French foreign legionnaires check their equipment Sunda in Niono, some 249 miles north of the capital Bamako. The Malian military announced late Saturday that the government was now controlling Diabaly, marking an important accomplishment for the French-led offensive to oust the extremists from northern and central Mali.
Photo by
Associated Press /Chattanooga Times Free Press .
published Sunday, January 20th, 2013
Stories this photo appears in:
BAMAKO, Mali — Backed by French air strikes, Malian forces appeared close to recapturing a key central town in Mali where bands of al-Qaida-linked fighters had holed up, France’s defense minister said Sunday.
