http://www.news.com.au/breaking-news/world/french-troops-advance-towards-malis-north/story-e6frfkui-1226557851553
The French advance towards the jihadist strongholds came amid reports the al-Qaeda-linked militants were abandoning some of their positions and converging on the mountainous region of Kidal, their northernmost bastion, 1,500 kilometres from Bamako and near the border with Algeria.
