Malian army retakes town from jihadists

The Malian army has regained control of a central town briefly held by a hardline armed group, according to UN and Malian security sources, but the fighters have allegedly left with a local official they were keeping hostage.
Boni – home to several thousand people – was seized by the group on Friday afternoon until the early hours of Saturday.
“The jihadists left Boni in the night and today around 8am. the Malian army came back to take control of the town,” a Malian security source said on Saturday.
The fighters fired on administrative buildings and set fire to the mayor’s office.
A source close to the UN mission in the country, which is known by the acronym MINUSMA, said two helicopters were providing cover over the town, “to support the Malian army, who are now in control”.