Mali launches air strikes after militants seize village

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Authorities in northern Mali say that the army has launched air strikes near a village that witnesses said has been seized by militants with ties to the Islamic State group. Talataye, in Mali’s northern Gao region, was taken over by militants on Tuesday. But a local official said it was unclear exactly who was in control there. The village’s reported takeover was the first such advance by militants since the French military left Mali in mid-August after nine years of battling Islamic insurgents there. The development has has deepened fears extremists may once again expand their reach following the French departure.