Gunmen kidnap and kill two French journalists in Mali Dupont, 51, and radio technician Verdon, 58, were seized after they interviewed Kidal resident Ambeiry Ag Rhissa, a local official with the MNLA Tuareg separatist group. Paul-Marie Sidibe, prefect of the town of Tinzawaten, who is based in Kidal, said: "A few minutes after a pursuit began for the abductors of the two French, we were informed that their bodies were found riddled with bullets outside the town." Local reports said the French forces based in the town -- which also hosts UN peacekeepers and Malian troops -- sent helicopters in pursuit of the kidnap gang. The French defence ministry said it had advised the journalists against travel to Kidal. Early reports suggested the pair may have been kidnapped by a rival Tuareg faction. "They were put into a beige four-wheel drive vehicle and the kidnappers fired shots in the air and told Rhissa to go home," it said. It was the last time they were seen. The MNLA is a Tuareg separatist movement whose rebels invaded northern Mali last year. They were later chased out by al-Qaeda-linked fighters but have returned to prominence in Kidal in recent months. France launched air strikes and sent hundreds of soldiers into Mali at the start of the year to drive back the al-Qaeda-linked rebels it said could turn the country into a base for international attacks. The insurgents have threatened to hit French targets across the region in revenge. Since 2003, northern Mali has acted as a rear base for al-Qaeda's North African branch. They have bankrolled their operations by kidnapping Westerners, especially French nationals. Earlier this week, four Frenchmen were released three years after being kidnapped by al-Qaeda-linked gunmen in neighbouring Niger. They had been held in northern Mali. Sources close to the release operation claimed that France, which still has about 3,000 troops in Mali, paid up to 25 million euros (£21.5 million) for their freedom.