Mali troops battle Islamists, Gao courthouse ablaze
A French sniper holds position as soldiers patrol next to the central police station, on February 11, 2013 in Gao, Mali. By Pascal Guyot (AFP/File)
GAO, Mali (AFP) - Malian troops were battling armed Islamists in the northern Mali city of Gao on Thursday in clashes that left the main courthouse in flames, an AFP correspondent and a military source said.
Fighting had first erupted overnight in Gao, where a military official and witnesses reported heavy gunfire around two main entrances to the main city in the north of the country.