France confirms fall of Mali town Diabali to Islamist rebels

PARIS:French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian on Monday confirmed that Islamist rebels in Mali had seized the town of Diabali, 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital, in the government-held south.

"We knew there would be a counter-offensive towards the west," he told BFM Television. "They have taken Diabali, which is a small town, after heavy fighting and resistance from the Malian army, which was insufficiently equipped at that exact point."