PARIS, Jan. 13 (Xinhua) -- Four French Rafale fighter jets bombed Islamist rebel positions near the northern Malian town of Gao on Sunday, the French defense ministry confirmed.
The strike destroyed Islamist bases and forced the insurgents to flee, an earlier AFP report quoted residents as saying.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius confirmed Friday that France had sent troops to help Mali stop advance of Islamist rebels.
President Francois Hollande on Saturday stressed that French forces would pursue their mission in Mali to prepare ground for African troops deployment to preserve Malian sovereignty.
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