French fighter jets Mirage 2000D stepped up air strikes against Islamist rebels in Mali 1301135

Reports said the heavily armed Islamist fighters have swept southward toward Mali's capital Bamako.

The Malian government troops, under the cover from French air power, have managed to drive the militants out of the strategic central town of Konna.

More than 100 people, including those from both the rebels and government troops, were killed during the conflicts, said a Malian military source on Saturday.

The source said "more than 100 rebels" have been killed during the fighting.

Meanwhile, a witness said he had counted 148 bodies among which several dozens were government troops. The army and its allies are combing Konna to eliminate pockets resistance.

A senior official with Malian president's office said on state television that 11 Malian soldiers were killed in the battle for Konna, with around 60 others injured.

A military source said the rebels now have no possibility to circumvent Konna to attack the south

Some western African nations feared that armed groups could use Mali as a power base to plot attacks on the West and expand their influence in Yemen, Somalia and North Africa.

The multinational force is expected to be headed by Nigerian Major-General Shehu Abdulkadir. Its troops would come from countries like Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal, each of which announced they would send 500 soldiers.