Two Rebel Groups in Mali Merge To Form Islamic State BAMAKO, Mali (AP) - The two rebel groups that seized control of the northern half of Mali announced Saturday that they had agreed to formally merge their movements, a leader who signed the agreement said. The leader, Alghabass Ag Intalla of the Ansar Dine group, which wants the newly declared nation to be an Islamic state, confirmed that his movement was joining with the National Movement for the Liberation of the Azawad, a secular rebel group led by Tuareg separatists. They signed the agreement in the town of Gao, in the north, on Saturday following celebratory gunfire. "I have just signed an accord that will see an independent and Islamic state where we have Islamic law," Mr. Ag Intalla said. The two groups took over the north of Mali, an area the size of France, in a coup in the capital Bamako on March 22, forcing Malian government troops to flee south. Until now, the two had been in disagreement because Ansar Dine wanted to impose Shariah law, something the secular N.M.L.A. had been resisting. During the rebel advance, residents said there were turf wars, with the fighters occupying different areas of the cities.