French forces fight Mali Islamists

French soldiers have come to the aid of the Mali government against al-Qaeda-linked militants. Source: AAP

FRENCH soldiers have launched an operation to help the government of Mali defeat al-Qaeda-linked militants who captured more ground this week.

French President Francois Hollande said his country acted on Friday because the "terrorists are a threat to France, to Europe and the world".

He said the operation would last "as long as necessary".

France said it was taking the action in Mali at the request of President Dioncounda Traore, who declared a state of emergency because of the militants' advance.

The arrival of the French troops in their former colony on Friday came a day after the Islamists moved the closest yet towards territory still under government control and fought the Malian military for the first time in months, seizing the strategic city of Konna.

For the past nine months, the Islamic militants have controlled a large swathe of northern Mali, a lawless desert region where kidnapping has flourished.

"French armed forces supported Malian units this afternoon to fight against terrorist elements," Hollande said in Paris.

He did not give any details of the operation, other than to say that it was aimed in part at protecting the 6000 French citizens in Mali, where seven of them already are being held captive.

Locals in central Mali said they had seen Western military personnel arriving in the area, with planes landing at a nearby airport throughout the night.

Traore went on national television on Friday night to declare the state of emergency, saying it would remain in effect for 10 days and could be renewed.

He called on mining companies and non-government organisations to turn their trucks over to Malian military, raising questions about the army's ability.

France has led a diplomatic push for international action in northern Mali, but efforts to get an African-led force together, or to train the weak Malian army, have dragged.

The French quickly mobilised after the Islamists seized the city of Konna on Thursday, pushing closer to the army's major base in central Mali.

The United Nations Security Council has condemned the capture of Konna and urged UN member states to assist Mali "in order to reduce the threat posed by terrorist organisations and associated groups".

Late last year, the 15 nations in West Africa, including Mali, agreed on a proposal for the military to take back the north, and sought backing from the UN.

The Security Council authorised the intervention but imposed certain conditions. Those include the training of Mali's military, which has been accused of serious human rights abuses since a military coup last year sent the nation into disarray.

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