At least three chadian soldiers were killed on Friday in a suicide bomb attack in the northern Malian city of Kidal, the BCC reported. A Chadian military official also said that four other soldiers were hurt in the attack which occurred in Kidal when the suicide bomber blew himself up next to a group of soldiers in a market. Chadian and French troops have been in Kidal since February as part of efforts to fight Islamist militants who had taken power in the north of Mali. Northern towns have been recaptured in the French-led operation but some fighters remain in desert hideouts. Islamist groups took advantage of a coup in March 2012 to take control of the north of Mali, where they imposed a strict form of Islamic law. This is the third suicide bombing in Kidal this year – and there have been other such attacks in Timbuktu and Gao. Earlier in the week, France began its withdrawal of troops from Mali – 4,000 soldiers were sent to the West African nation in January to help the weak Malian army recapture the north. France said it acted when it did as the al-Qaeda-linked militants threatened to march on the capital, Bamako.