Islamist rebels have cut off the hand of a suspected cattle thief in Mali, the first amputation under sharia law imposed by insurgents controlling the country's desert north.
Abdel Moussa, a tea vendor in Ansongo, said a large crowd watched the amputation in the village about 100km (60 miles) from the regional capital Gao, after pleading with the Movement for Unity and Jihad in West Africa (MUJWA) to stop.
"Our men cut off the hand of a thief after a judgment based on supporting evidence. They did it according to sharia," Aliou Toure, a rebel leader in Gao, said. The amputation took place on Wednesday. [BBC] Read more
