Terrorism/ N. Mali: traffickers Arrested

BAMAKO - Several "traffickers" who tried to cross the northern Mali with weapons to Islamist fighters were intercepted Wednesday by security forces in the north, according to the Malian military source.

•     "Our elements arrested today (Wednesday) several dealers without border, that is to say of different nationalities on board many vehicles with prohibited material," he told AFP, Ali Diakite, a captain in the Malian army contacted in the north.
  
      According to security sources, these "traffickers" were carrying weapons destined to Islamist fighters.
  
      The northern Mali desert region, is bordered by Mauritania and Algeria, two countries where El-Qaeda in Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) has launched regular attacks. Many Westerners have been abducted by AQIM in northern Mali in recent years.
  
      The armies of Mali, Niger, Mauritania and Algeria have recently decided to track down all armed gangs that circulate in the Sahara.
  
      A source close to the Malian Ministry of Foreign Affairs also said Wednesday that a meeting of heads of state in the region, dedicated to the security situation and the fight against terrorism, will finally take place in Bamako "just after the month of Ramadan.
  
      This summit has been postponed several times.
  
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.