Chad military forces seized the city of Kidal in northern Mali, marking the first time an all-African force has captured a city in the battle against Islamic terrorists, according to French military forces.

The French army has seized and controlled the Kidal airport but the 1,800 Chad troops have captured the bulk of the city forcing the Islamists to flee toward the nearby mountains.

The news of the capture comes as world powers meet in Brussels about the Malian crisis. U.S., European and African officials are deciding how best to finance the rebuilding of the country in the wake of the Islamists attempts to overthrow the government. The first order of business is determining how to hold the July 31st elections currently scheduled to elect a new President.

The meeting will also decide how to fund an 8,000 member all-African military force already approved by the United Nations and the U.S.

The European Union announced they would begin sending humanitarian support to Mali which had been suspended in March 2012 coup which led to the Islamists attempting to overtake the country.