French, Malian soldiers win control of Timbuktu

French and Malian soldiers have won control of the desert city of Timbuktu following the retreat of Islamist extremists,

French, Malian soldiers win control of Timbuktu

French and Malian soldiers have won control of the desert city of Timbuktu following the retreat of Islamist extremists,

Meanwhile Tuareg fighters claimed that they control the strategic city of Kidal and other northern towns.

The National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad – the Tuareg group’s name for northern Mali – appears to have taken advantage of a French-led bombing and ground campaign to dislodge al Qaida-linked Islamist fighters from Mali.

The Tuareg movement said it was ready to work with French troops and fight terror organizations.

However, it said it would refuse to allow Malian soldiers in Kidal, and the other towns under its control in north-eastern Mali, following allegations that the troops killed civilians suspected of having links to the Islamists.

It said it “decided to retake these localities with all urgency to assure the security of the belongings, and more particularly of people, because of the grave danger their lives faced with the return of the Malian army, marching in the footsteps of the French army.”

While the group known as NMLA was an important player in the early days of the Malian conflict last April, it had been ousted from power in northern Mali by the al Qaida-linked extremists known as Ansar Dine.

Kidal is the last of the three provincial capitals across the north that had been under the grip of the Islamists since last April.

The French military operation began more than two weeks ago and has so far met little resistance though experts warn it will be harder to hold on to the towns than it was to recapture them from the Islamists.

Photos released by the French military showed jubilant residents greeting the arrival of troops in the town, where Islamists whipped women for going outside without veils and amputated the hand of a suspected thief.

There also was celebration among the thousands of Timbuktu residents who fled the city rather than live under strict and pitiless Islamic rule and the dire poverty that worsened after the tourist industry was destroyed.

“In the heart of people from northern Mali, it’s a relief – freedom finally,” said Cheick Sormoye, a Timbuktu resident who fled to Bamako, the capital.

However, the mayor of Timbuktu said Islamists set fire to a library housing irreplaceable manuscripts before they fled the town.

Timbuktu has been home to some 20,000 irreplaceable manuscripts, some dating to the 12th century. It was not known how many were destroyed in the blaze that was set in recent days in an act of vengeance by the Islamists before they withdrew.

Michael Covitt, chairman of the Malian Manuscript Foundation, called the arson a “desecration to humanity.”

“These manuscripts are irreplaceable

. They have the wisdom of the ages and it’s the most important find since the Dead Sea Scrolls,” he said.

more courts articles

Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother Man (25) in court charged with murdering his father and attempted murder of mother
Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van Man appears in court charged with false imprisonment of woman in van
Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman Man in court over alleged false imprisonment of woman

More in this section

French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair French legislators ponder law to ban discrimination based on a person’s hair
China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw China ends tariffs on Australian wine as relations between countries thaw
US military drains giant wartime fuel tanks which had poisoned water supply US military drains giant wartime fuel tanks which had poisoned water supply
Cookie Policy Privacy Policy Brand Safety FAQ Help Contact Us Terms and Conditions

© Examiner Echo Group Limited