Photo Gallery A Cain against Abel Struggle
French soldiers are seen driving a tank into Timbuktu, Mali, on Jan. 28, where they were welcomed by local people.
French Colonel Paul Gèze says he can't say how many people were killed in the air strikes. His soldiers didn't take any prisoners, either. He also knows that even though the jihadists have left Timbuktu, they still haven't been defeated.
Here, French soldiers patrol the area outside the Sankore Mosque, a UNESCO world heritage site. "The Islamists have to be hiding out somewhere," Colonel Paul Gèze said. The question is where? In the desert? In Mauritania or Algeria?
Men carry humanitarian food aid in Mali. Timbuktu is no longer cut off from the world, but the pain of its experience after months of Islamist control can still be felt today.
For appearing publicly with a man, Salaka Djické was sentenced to 95 lashes, executed with an elastic stick covered with camel leather. "I didn't lose consciousness," she says. "I felt everything."
A road sign written by the rebels is seen at the entrance into the Malian city: "Timbuktu, the minaret of Islam and the entrance to the application of the sharia law welcomes you." The 10 months of Islamist control felt seemingly endless for locals. If someone was caught wth a cigarette, he was thrown into jail. They cut the hands off of thieves and even prohibited people from listening to music.
Sioli Igoumo Kounta operates one of the many private libraries that Timbuktu is famous for. He buried many of the manuscripts in the dirt to prevent them from getting destroyed by the Islamists. "They told us we were practicing a false fath," he recalls, saying the bearded men refused to tolerate anything other than the Koran in the city.
The Islamists destroyed many cultural treasures in the city, but local historian Abdoulaye Cissé, pictured here, believes hundreds of thousands may have survived. Timbuktu's ancient manuscripts are part of the world's cultural heritage today.
With French troops soon planning to leave, many are worried about Mali's future security. The country's problems extend beyond the terrorists, and some argue the Europeans will need to maintain a role there for years to come.
Here, Nigerian soldiers participating in the ECOWAS troops train at an airbase in Bamako, Mali. Up to 6,000 troops are expected, but it will hardly be sufficient to bring lasting peace to the region.
