Bamako: The Islamists who rule northern Mali have move towards the southern part of the country and captured a key town of Konna.
According to media reports, the militants clashed with government forces for the first time in nearly a year, seizing a strategic city Thursday as the al-Qaida-linked militants pushed toward the government line of control in the center of the troubled country.
 The fighting in central Mali also comes amid speculation that a regional military intervention to oust the extremists may not come until September at the earliest.
The Islamists seized the town of Douentza four months ago after brief standoff with a local militia, but pushed no further until clashes broke out late Wednesday in Konna, a town of 50,000 people, where fearful residents cowered inside their homes.
“We have chased the army out of the city of Konna, which we have occupied since 11 a.m.,” declared Sanda Abou Mohamed, a spokesman for the Ansar Dine militant group, speaking by telephone from Timbuktu.
A Mali army spokesman refused to comment on the loss of Konna, which is just 45 miles (70 kilometers) from the government-held town of Mopti, a strategic port city along the Niger River.
Lt. Col. Diarran Kone, communications adviser for the Ministry of Defense, would not speak about the loss of Konna or the military operations under way.
“But it is certain that we seek every opportunity to move northward and liberate the cities of Timbuktu , Kidal and Gao,” he said.
The United Nations said it was concerned about the reported military movements by rebel groups along the front line in Mali, and urged them to adhere to a Dec. 4 cease-fire, U.N. spokesman Martin Nesirky said.
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