Timbuktu residents watch as a French convoy crosses the city.
Members of a crowd point at a man suspected of being an Islamist. While many rebels fled before their arrival, Malian and French troops were working to flush out any who remained in hiding on Tuesday.
Men pick through the remains of ancient manuscripts at the Ahmed Baba Institute, which rebels set ablaze before fleeing the city.The mayor of Timbuktu described the incident as a "devastating blow" to Mali's cultural heritage, but Time reported this week that preservationists had actually launched an operation early last year to safeguard thousands of manuscripts before militants took control of the town. "The manuscripts are in total security," one Malian official told the magazine.
