Ground forces backed by French paratroopers and helicopters seized control of Timbuktu airport in an overnight operation, as the offensive against Islamist fighters in Mali continued.
Troops met no resistance as they took control of roads leading to the desert city. Colonel Thierry Burkhard said the airport was taken without firing a shot. “An operation allowed us to control access to the town,” he said. “It’s up to Malian forces to retake the town.”
The ancient city has been occupied by al Qaeda-linked militants who have swept through northern Mali. The Islamists have destroyed Unesco world heritage sites and Timbuktu mayor Halle Ousmane Cisse, currently in Mali’s capital Bamako, told the BBC he had credible accounts of militants burning centuries-old manuscripts.
In another key town that had been held by the rebels, Gao, thousands poured into the streets to celebrate the arrival of French and African troops, after militants fled to desert hideouts.
Islamists seized control of the north after a coup last March created chaos. Once Timbuktu is secured, French and African forces, which include soldiers from Chad and Niger, are expected to target the last rebel stronghold, Kidal.
