Mali helicopters strike Tuareg rebels, several dead

By Tiemoko Diallo

BAMAKO (Reuters) - Malian attack helicopters struck at Tuareg rebels in the Sahara on Wednesday, killing several people in an operation meant to stop the insurgents besieging the northeastern town of Kidal, an army source said.

Tuareg raids in Mali's remote north have intensified in recent weeks. Rebels are fighting the army in an apparent effort to maintain control of traditional Saharan smuggling routes.

"The firing lasted all morning. There are vehicles on fire, several dead, without even counting the injured. Several of the rebels fled," a senior military official, who asked not to be named, told Reuters.

He said the decision to strike the rebel positions near Kidal, an ancient desert trading town more than 1,250 km (780 miles) northeast of the capital Bamako, had been taken after the insurgents tried to stop army reinforcements reaching the town.

"They had started laying mines on the road from (the garrison town of) Gao to Kidal to stop all traffic. They were planning an ambush on a military convoy from Gao, so the army had to take the offensive," the military official said.

He said Mi-24 helicopters had opened fire and the army was now waiting for the rebel reaction. The Malian defence ministry said it would give casualty figures later.

The army clashes with Tuareg rebels have taken place in the region where al Qaeda militants are thought to be holding two Austrian tourists seized in Tunisia in February. The violence appears to be unrelated to the kidnapping.