As French troops have started fighting rebel forces in northern Mali, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has authorized the deployment of an African-led international force to flush out rebel groups from northern Mali, a statement by the regional bloc said on Saturday.

The statement quoted Chairman of the ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State, President of Cote d'Ivoir Alassane Ouattara, as saying that measures would be taken to implement the decision to assist the Malian Army to defend the nation's territorial integrity.

It said the chairman took the decision in consultation with his peers and in conformity to Resolution 2085 of the UN Security Council.

The statement said the deployment was within the African-led International Support Mission to Mali (AFISMA) framework and that ECOWAS was committed to support the Malian government to tackle its security crisis.

Mali has been dealing with diverse security, economic, political and humanitarian challenges since January after a fighting between government forces and al-Qaida-linked rebels broke out in the northern part of the country.

The UN recently asked the AU and ECOWAS to produce a detailed plan for a possible military intervention in northern Mali.

It was reported that France's air force have carried out air strikes in Mali since Friday in a move to back the Malian government forces to block the rebels' southern-word movement.

In Paris, French President Francois Hollande on Friday evening announced the French force's involvement in Malian army's battle against armed Islamist groups in Northern Mali.

He said the operation was meant to "fight against terrorists and it will go on as long as it's necessary."

Meanwhile, Niger on Saturday announced that it will send 500 soldiers to northern Mali to help resolve the neighboring country's crisis.

A rebel coalition of AQIM, MUJAO and Ansar Dine, who seized the northern part of Mali in March 2012, moved further south to the town of Konna on Thursday after days of fighting with the government forces based in the town.

As some military sources said the Malian army has managed to regain control of Konna locality and neutralize all the jihads on Thursday afternoon, the technical adviser to Mali's Defense Ministry, colonel Abdrahamane Baby, said on Friday that it was not appropriate to say that Konna locality had been recaptured at a time when the battle between the Malian army and the terrorists was still going on.

The clash is the latest between the army and the rebels since the latter occupied the north in the aftermath of a military coup on March 22, 2012.

With the battle going on and international support, Mali's Interim President Dioncounda Traore on Friday declared a 10-day nation-wide state of emergency and requisitioned all state owned pick-up vehicles and appealed for support for the country's army from companies based in Mali, a move indicating the government's determination to restore territorial integrity.

Traore urged the mining companies as well as mobile telephone perators to support Mali's army. He further called on the Malian people to "place the national interests ahead of their own personal agendas."

While noting that the situation in the country was generally still under control, Traore urged the whole nation to rally behind the army, especially after Thursday's attack against the army's defense position at Konna in the southern region of Mopti.

The interim president said that he had requested and obtained aerial military support from France, in conformity to the international agreements.