French troops have entered Kidal, which is their the last target city from Islamist extremists  in Mali. French army spokesperson Thierry Burkhard told AFP in Paris that French elements were deployed overnight in Kidal .

Several other reports from Mali have revealed that French troops have arrived at the airport of Kidal.

The Islamists’ control of the cities has reduced ;provincial capitals of Gao and Timbuktu  and Kidal have  come  back under government authority.

France which is a former colonial ruler of Mal began sending in troops to Mali  on Jan. 11 to after the armed Islamists began encroaching on the south, toward the capital. French and Malian troops seized Gao during the weekend, they recaptured Timbuktu on Monday and now Kidal.

French troops reach Kidal airport,(ibtimes Image)

“We confirm that French aircraft are on the Kidal landing strip and that protection helicopters are in the sky,” said a regional security source.

Kidal lies 1,500 kilometres (930 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako and until recently was controlled by the Islamist group Ansar Dine (Defenders of the Faith).

Ansar Dine and two other Islamist groups took advantage of the chaos following a military coup in Bamako last March to seize the north, imposing their harsh interpretation of Islamic sharia law. Offenders suffered whippings, amputations and in some cases were executed.

By UP