BAMAKO (AFP) - 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.