Islamist Chief Killed in Revenge Attack in Mali's North
Residents of the Islamist-held northern Mali town of Gao on Saturday killed a local jihadist leader to avenge the murder of a journalist, an official said.
Sema Maiga, a deputy of the town's mayor, said the Islamists beat local journalist Kader Toure to death after accusing him of "working for the enemy", adding that residents then "killed an Islamist chief called Alioune Toure".
Gao has for nearly nine months been under the control of Islamist militants from the Movement for Oneness and Jihad (MUJAO) who imposed a harsh form of Islamic law that included the amputation of the hands of thieves.
They had cut telecommunication links to the town to stop residents from passing information to advancing French and Malian troops.
French air strikes that began on January 11 to halt an Islamist advance have subsequently driven the insurgents from their strongholds in the north to take shelter in the vast desert territory.
Source: Agence France Presse
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