Malaian and French soldiers on the streets of Gao a day after al-Qaeda linked militants launched a surprise attack to retake the town.<br/> <br />The rebels, who had occupied Gao for ten months before being pushed out by French and Malian forces, snuck back in under the cover of darkness.<br/> <br />The brazenness of the rebel raid, which followed successive blasts by two suicide bombers, was a surprise to the French-led military operation which has so far faced little real resistance from the Islamists.<br/> <br />But it was no surprise to the town's mayor.<br/> <br />(SOUNDBITE)(French) GAO MAYOR, SADOU HAROUNA, SAYING:<br/> <br />"These people can go everywhere. Gao has entrances everywhere. You can enter - by car, by motorcycle, by foot, by donkey."<br/> <br />France intervened in Mali last month to combat Islamist forces who had seized control of the north.<br/> <br />France wants to start pulling out troops in March. They want to hand security over to an African military force.<br/> <br />But the African contingent is still struggling, raising the risk that Paris' forces could face "mission creep" and be obliged to extend their stay.
