Mali army reinforces town near capital after Islamist sighting

The Malian army sped reinforcements to a town close to the capital Bamako after Islamist fighters were spotted in the nearby border region with Mauritania, residents and a military source said.

"Banamba is in a state of alert. Reinforcements have been sent. Nigerian troops expected to arrive in Bamako today could be deployed there to secure the zone," a senior Malian military source told Reuters.

An inhabitant of Banamba, 140 km from the capital, reported the arrival of soldiers after fighters belonging to an Islamist coalition battling French forces further north were seen in Boron, an area along the porous border.