US calls on Mali rebels to 'cease military operations'

The United States called Tuesday on rebel forces in northern Mali to “cease military operations,” warning the country’s territorial integrity was at stake.

Her statement came amid growing US concern about the rapid advance of Tuareg rebels alongside Islamist allies in the north against a shaky military that seized power in a coup last month.

West African leaders, meanwhile, have slapped crippling sanctions on Mali’s new junta ahead of emergency UN talks Tuesday.