Commercial flights halted to Mali's Timbuktu amid Islamist blockade

Sky Mali, the only commercial airline flying to Timbuktu in Mali's interior, has cancelled flights there due to insecurity, it said on Monday, deepening the isolation of the northern city which has been under a month-long Islamist blockade. Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site and ancient trading centre on the edge of the Sahara desert, has been suffering from a shortage of food and aid supplies since a local affiliate of al Qaeda cut off access by road and river in mid-August. Two residents told Reuters that they heard shell fire near the city's airport on Monday morning. Sky Mali later issued a statement saying it had suspended all flights to and from Timbuktu until further notice, citing a security alert. "We heard several shell shots at Timbuktu airport. Flights are cancelled," said resident Mohamed Ag Hamaleck. "Now Timbuktu is completely closed. The access roads are cut, the boats no longer come," he said by phone.<br/>