Turkey calls on its citizens to refrain from visiting Mali

Turkey calls on its citizens to refrain from visiting Mali and recommends its citizens in this country to return to the motherland, Turkish Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.

The Islamists, whom Mali authorities accuse of having links with "al-Qaeda", control the north of the country for already several months, however, in recent weeks, militants have launched an attack on the south, threatening to seize new territories. Malian authorities, who can not cope with the Islamists alone, turned to France for help.

Currently, the Armed Forces of Mali with the support of France are fighting against numerous Islamist groups.

On Monday night the French Air Force attacked positions of the Islamists. After suffering heavy losses, the Islamists fled major cities, however, the authorities still fail to fully regain control over the north of the country because of the lack of military and financial resources. It is expected that African contingent, entry of which is authorized by the UN Security Council, will help the Malian authorities in the near future.