Tuareg rebels attacked the northern Mali town of Gao, a day after they captured the town of Kidal, deepening the crisis following a recent military coup in the West African country.
The Tuareg rebellion erupted in January, fueled by an influx of weapons from neighboring Libya, where many of the rebels were in the service of slain Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.
Gao is 1.000 kilometers from Bamako, where a coup was carried out 10 days ago, reports AP.
If the rebels take Gao, the only major city in northern Mali under government control will be Timbuktu.
Several dozen soldiers were killed in the clashes with the Tuaregs, who were often sent into battle without enough ammunition, which fueled the coup in Bamako.
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