The French Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian says three weeks of French targeted air strikes in northern Mali have left Islamist militants devastated.

This statement came from the French Defence Minister as French and Malian forces continue to push forward in order to secure the Islamist militants stronghold of Kidal.

The latest French strikes had been targeting the fighters command centres, training camps and depots north of Kidal, an army spokesman said told reporters.

France is preparing to hand over towns it has captured to an African force, which has begun to deploy to Mali to help fight the Fighters.

So far about 2,000 African soldiers, mainly from Chad and Niger, are on the ground combating along side French and Malian Forces.

It is believe that France will hand over combat operation to African Union Forces once the north of the country is well secured from the Islamist Fighters.

It will then be the job of the African Union-backed force, the International Support Mission to Mali (Afisma), to root out the al-Qaeda-linked insurgents that have fled into the desert and mountains further north.

But at the moment, the French forces are still pushing to secure the last stronghold of the Islamist militants Kidal in the north.

Issaka Adams / NationalTurk Africa News