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5 May, 2012 - 19:43

Al-Qaeda 'dominates' north Mali: security sources

A view of Timbuktu in 2006. Members of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb have desecrated a Muslim saint's tomb in the fabled city of Timbuktu, an official said on Saturday. data/files/photo_1336250509076-2-0.jpg

The north African offshoot of Al-Qaeda now dominates in northern Mali, which fell into rebel hands in March, regional security sources said Saturday.

"Today it is Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb which occupies a dominant position in the three areas of northern Mali thanks to its alliance with the Islamic Ansar Dine group and the influx of Tunisian, Libyan and Moroccan fighters," a Mauritanian source told AFP.