Photo released on Jan 13, 2013 by French Army Communications Audiovisual office (ECPAD) shows a French Rafale fighter preparing for mission at Saint Dizier military base in France on Jan 12, 2013. The French air force on Sunday extended strike further north to Gao, one of the three major towns controlled by rebels in northern Mali, according to reports from local residents and official sources in Paris. The French Defense Ministry confirmed the airstrike by four Rafale fighter jets, after witnesses reported bombardment of rebel positions around Gao.[Photo: Agencies]