Islamists vow to smash every mausoleum in Timbuktu

Timbuktu, 1 Jul – (ANA) - Islamist rebels occupying the ancient city of Timbuktu in Mali have vowed to smash every mausoleum, in the face of international protests. A spokesman for the Ansar Dine group, Sanda Ould Boumama, said it would "destroy every mausoleum in the city - all of them, without exception". The centuries-old shrines to Islamic saints, revered by Sufi Muslims, are regarded asidolatrous by the group. Three mausoleums were reportedly destroyed by the militants on Saturday. A local journalist told AFP news agency on Sunday that the Islamists were planning to smash four mausoleums in the cemetery at the 14th-Century Djingareyber mosque. (ANA)

FA/ANA/1 July 2012---------