"British couple flee Timbuktu as town falls to al-Qaida
By msnbc.com staff

A British couple made a dramatic escape from Timbuktu, Mali, after the town fell to fighters linked to al-Qaida, The Daily Telegraph of London reported Wednesday.

The newspaper said militiamen aided Neil Whitehead, 58, and Diane English, 53, in making an 850-mile desert trek to Nouakchott, the capital of Mauritania.

The couple since 2010 operated the budget Hotel Alafia, catering to backpackers and independent travelers, until they learned al-Qaida offered to pay for their deaths, the Telegraph said.
Advertise | AdChoices

Read the original story in The Telegraph

The town fell to the al-Qaida-linked fighters last weekend after a military coup left the area defenseless. The couple tried to leave Saturday but fleeing Mali soldiers. . ."

MSNBC