French troops fought Islamist rebels in street battles as military leaders launched their first ground operation against Mali?s insurgents.
Army chief Edouard Guillard said ground forces were crucial to dislodge al-Qaeda-linked fighters who have resisted six days of air strikes.
He accused the rebels of using human shields to hamper military strikes and promised that French troops would do all they could to avoid wrongly targeting civilians.
?We categorically refuse to make the civilian population take a risk. If in doubt, we will not shoot,? he added.
The street battles began hours after France ramped up its aerial assault. Defence minister Jean-Yves Le Drian vowed its intervention in the country would continue ?for as long as necessary?.
A column of French armoured vehicles moved into position at Niono, 300km (190 miles) from the capital Bamako, as the Malian army secured the northern region near the Mauritanian border. Islamist fighters were encircled in the nearby town of Diabaly.
In one air assault, French fighter jets, struck the headquarters of the Islamic police in Niafunke, a small town near the ancient caravan route of Timbuktu.
France called for international support, describing the insurgents as ?a threat to Africa and the West?.
However, it acknowledged it faced a long fight against well-equipped and determined militants.
West African military leaders met for a second day to hammer out the details of their UN-mandated deployment. Germany promised two Transall military transport planes to fly soldiers from around the region to Bamako.
Source: http://metro.co.uk/2013/01/16/france-sends-in-ground-troops-in-new-assault-on-mali-rebels-3355213/
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