BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The Malian military attacked Tuareg rebels early Wednesday and succeeded in taking the village of Anefis, marking the army’s first victory and territorial gain without the help of French forces since they were routed from the country’s north last year by the separatist fighters, officials on both sides said.
Reached by telephone, the mayor of Anefis said that the confrontation began at 6:30 a.m. just west of the town. Anefis is 113 kilometers (70 miles) south of Kidal, and the last locality before the provincial capital that serves as the base of the rebel National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, or NMLA. For weeks, the army has been inching up toward Kidal, while the rebels have dug in and brought reinforcements, vowing to go to war if the military attempts to attack the strategic city.
