:::Glad tidings from Mali::: Mujahideen of Jamah Ansar-Adin in control over towns in northern Mali

:::Glad tidings from Mali:::

Allahu Akbar! Allahu Akbar!

Mujahideen of Jamah Ansar-Adin in control over towns in northern Mali

Video from Jamah Ansar Adin:

hxxp://youtu.be/tr6C49Zvhlc

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Islamist fighters call for Sharia law in Mali
AFP – Tue, Mar 13, 2012
An armed Islamist group led by an influential Tuareg rebel fighting for autonomy in northern Mali called for the national imposition of Sharia law in a video seen Tuesday by AFP.
"It is an obligation for us to fight for the application of Sharia (Islamic law) in Mali," said Cheikh Ag Aoussa, a spokesman of the movement Ancar Dine, which means 'Defenders of Islam' in Arabic.
Ag Aoussa is the right-hand man of its leader Iyad Ag Ghaly, who is shown in the 13-minute video inspecting fighters and leading them in prayer.
Ag Ghaly was one of the most prominent figures of a Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s and is thought to have links with a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) which is led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama.
Tuareg rebels, many of whom recently returned from fighting for fallen Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi, in mid-January struck up their decades-old battle for autonomy for their nomadic desert tribe.
The video shows dead and captured soldiers after an attack on the town of Aguelhok, one of many attacked by Tuareg in violence which has led some 170,000 people to flee their homes. The movement claimed it had seized the military base.
"The Malian government has reinforced its military strength in our areas and we have decided to defend ourselves," said Ag Aoussa, speaking in Tamashek, the language of the Tuareg.
France said some 82 soldiers and civilians had been "summarily executed" in the town, accusing the killers of adopting Al-Qaeda-style tactics.
Several sources have suggested that AQIM -- which has long plagued the northern region, kidnapping westerners -- has been fighting alongside the rebels, but the insurgents have denied this.
One of the captured soldiers, identifying himself as Corporal Hassan from the Gao 7th Company, says in the video: "We are 30 prisoners -- two Tuareg, four Arabs, the others from the south.
"We are in the hands of Ancar Dine after the battle in Aguelhok."
Images also showed the movement firing on a military camp which appeared to be that of Aguelhok. Inside a truck and an armoured vehicle are in flames.
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Armed Islamist group claims control in northeast Mali
By Serge Daniel | AFP – Tue, Mar 20, 2012

An Islamist group led by a Tuareg rebel fighting for autonomy in northern Mali claimed control Tuesday of the country's vast northeast, while also vowing to free dozens of prisoners.
"Thanks to God, we have (the region) under our control," the group Ancar Dine said in a statement sent to AFP. "Our soldiers of God occupy the towns of Tinezawaten, Tessalit, Aguelhok, and we will soon have other victories.
"Whoever doesn't agree must leave our territory," the group added, saying also that it would free, then expel from the area, at least 110 civilian and military prisoners it claimed to be holding.
Malian government officials provided no immediate comment on the claim.
The area said to be under Ancar Dine control is a sprawling swath of desert in the poor sub-Saharan country, close to the Algerian border.
Ancar Dine, 'Defenders of Islam' in Arabic, was created by Iyad Ag Ghaly, one of the most prominent figures of a Tuareg rebellion in the 1990s.
He is thought to have links with a branch of Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb, a splinter group which is led by his cousin Hamada Ag Hama.
Ancar Dine wants the imposition of Sharia, or Islamic law, across Mali.
Tuareg rebels -- many of whom recently returned from fighting for fallen Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi after his death -- in mid-January struck up their decades-old battle for autonomy for their nomadic desert tribe.
Ancar Dine said it had contacted members of the Islamic High Council of Mali to come to the region to collect the prisoners. An official from the council confirmed he had received a message from Ancar Dine.
The council is acting as an intermediary between Ancar Dine and the government.
The United Nations has said tens of thousands of people have been displaced by fighting between Tuareg rebels and the army.
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From Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancar_