The French forces on combat operation in Mali have launched a major offensive against islamist militants in northern north of the country.

Local reporters say about 1,000 troops are sweeping through a river valley believed to be a logistics base for the armed Islamists near Gao.

Malian officials say it is best and the last major French-led operation before France starts reducing its military presence in the country.

France has requested the United Nations to take over the rest of the mission as its wants to withdraw it forces soon from Mali.

The United Nations last month responded to the France’s request and said the mission will need support and cooperation from all nations.

The militants have been driven out of northern cities and towns since France intervened militarily in January but are capable of staging attacks in a guerilla manner.

The French land forces commander General Bernard Barrera was quoted by reporters as saying that they have recovered several dangerous ammunitions from the operation.

“We surrounded the valley north of Gao, which we believe serves as a logistics base for jihadist groups, and we began to search methodically, we have found some dangerous weapons’’, General Barrera said.

“This is the fourth wadi [valley] we have gone into in the Gao region. There will no doubt be other such operations but perhaps not to the same extent”, he added.

France wants to search as much of the remote region as it can for militant hideouts before it starts scaling down its troops from the end of this month as this is the kind of operation that African forces may not be able to carry out once they take over, he says.

The French forces neutralized around 340 artillery shells and high-calibre rockets found stashed under acacia trees in ravines, local reporters said.

French soldiers will spend the coming days combing the 20km valley with the help of Malian soldiers and police officers who will first go into the nomad camps and mud houses which line the dry river basin.

France plans to start withdrawing the first of its 4,000 troops later this month, and hopes to have only 1,000 soldiers in Mali by the end of the year.

UN chief Ban Ki-moon has suggested that a 11,000-strong UN peace force, made up of African troops, be deployed in Mali, once France reduces its presence.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News

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