French, Malian forces battle Islamists returned to Gao

Two weeks after French-led Malian forces drove Islamists out of the main town of northern Mali, Al Qaeda splinter, the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao) zoomed back on motorbikes Sunday to exchange heavy fire on the town’s streets, starting at the central police station. They also carried out suicide bombings for the second day running. French helicopter gunships flew overhead as people barricaded themselves in their houses.