French warplanes have bombed the town of Gao in eastern Mali, extending their attacks deep into rebel-held territory.

France’s military has been in action against Islamist militants in Mali since Friday, helping government forces recapture the central town of Konna.

A resident in Gao told AFP news agency all Islamist bases in the town had been destroyed and the militants had fled.

French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said the Islamist advance in Mali had been brought to a halt.

Islamist groups and secular Tuareg rebels seized northern Mali in April 2011, but the Islamists soon took control of the region’s major towns.

For months, Gao has been in the hands of the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (Mujao),

France said the militants had suffered significant” casualties, as reports of the bombing in Gao came in.

The town is around 500km (310 miles) north-east of a de facto line dividing the rebel-held north of Mali from the government-run south.

The foreign minister made it clear that France was now targeting Islamist bases in the north and said Algeria, which shares a long border with Mali, had given permission for its air space to be used for bombing raids “without limit”.

Defence Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said four Rafale fighter jets, flying from their base in France, had attacked and destroyed rebel training camps and logistics depots, which acted as back-up bases for terrorist groups.

The air attacks were continuing as part of an offensive to drive back Islamist militants who still control large swathes of northern Mali, he said earlier.

“There were [air strikes] last night, there are now and there will be today and tomorrow,” the minister said.

BBC Africa correspondent Andrew Harding says it seems clear that French air power is now preparing the ground for a much bigger offensive against the Islamist groups that seized northern Mali a year ago.

France’s decision to intervene took many by surprise. A UN-backed international force had not been expected to deploy in the west African state until the autumn.

But last week, the Islamist fighters pushed further south, seizing the strategically important town of Konna. The town has since been recaptured by Malian troops.

An unnamed Elysee Palace official quoted by AFP said on Sunday that French armed forces had been surprised by the fighting quality of the Islamist militants they were up against.

“What has really struck us is how up-to-date their equipment is, and the way they’ve been trained to use it,” the official said.

“At the start, we thought they would be just a load of guys with guns driving about in their pick-ups, but the reality is that they are well-trained, well-equipped, and well-armed.

“From Libya they have got hold of a lot of up-to-date, sophisticated equipment which is much more robust and effective than we could have imagined.”

France has sent around 550 troops to the central town of Mopti and the capital, Bamako. They are set to be joined by troops from the neighbouring African states of Niger, Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Togo, some of which are expected to arrive in Mali within days.

Islamist groups are still holding several French hostages and have threatened reprisals against them and other French targets. This prompted the French government to step up security across the country on Saturday.

“Our intervention is ongoing and we will continue in order to make them [Islamist fighters] retreat and allow Malian and African forces to go forward and re-establish the territorial integrity of the country,” Mr Le Drian said on Sunday.

A spokesman for the Ansar Dine Islamist group was quoted as saying that the French attacks had focused on three areas: Konna, Douentza and Lere.

Since the start of the French intervention on Friday, at least 11 Malian soldiers and a French helicopter pilot have been killed.

Human Rights Watch believes 10 civilians, including three children, died in Konna as Malian forces fought to recapture the town.

A Malian army officer said on Saturday he believed more than 100 militants had been killed.

France’s military effort in its former colony has been supported by the US and UK, which is offering assistance with transport.

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