India TV News :  
Sevare, Mali,Jan 29: As French and Malian soldiers held control of the fabled desert city of Timbuktu following the retreat of Islamist extremists, Tuareg fighters claimed on Tuesday that they seized the strategic city of Kidal and other northern towns.
The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, the Tuareg group’s name for northern Mali, appears to have taken advantage of a French-led bombing and ground campaign to dislodge al-Qaeda-linked Islamist fighters from the towns in northern Mali.
Phone lines were down in Kidal, making it difficult to independently confirm the group’s claim.
The Tuareg movement said on its website that it was ready to work with French troops and fight terror organizations.
It said it “decided to retake these localities with all urgency to assure the security of the belongings, and more particularly of people, because of the grave danger their lives faced with the return of the Malian army, marching in the footsteps of the French Army.
More here : http://www.indiatvnews.com/news/world/tuareg-separatists-claim-control-of-northern-mali-towns-10425.html
and below
FT : Separatist rebels take Mali town