Article updated: 1/18/2013 9:08 AM

Aid groups warn they can’t reach key Mali town

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French troops arrive at Bamako's airport Thursday Jan. 17, 2013. Over 600 soldiers arrived Thursday. Fighting raged in one Mali town, airstrikes hit another and army troops raced to protect a third, on the seventh day of the French-led military intervention to wrest back Mali's north from al Qaida-linked groups.

Associated Press

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Mali's military claimed Friday that it has held control of a key town where Islamic extremists had battled forces for a week, though aid groups warned they were unable to reach the area to provide humanitarian assistance.