Articles
Islamic Extremists Attack Timbuktu in North Mali
(BAMAKO, Mali) — Timbuktu has been hit by a prolonged battle between Islamic extremists and the Malian and French armies, residents and a Malian military...
In Timbuktu, al-Qaeda Left Behind Strategic Plans
(TIMBUKTU, Mali) — The Associated Press has discovered a confidential letter written by a senior al-Qaeda commander, spelling out the terror network's strategy...
Timbuktu’s Ancient Libraries: Saved by Locals, Endangered by a Government
One week after Islamic militants fled Timbuktu under French bombing strikes, preservationists are deeply uncertain about how to continue protecting the city’s...
Mali: Timbuktu Locals Saved Some of Their City’s Ancient Manuscripts from Islamists
The preservationists of Timbuktu’s centuries-old artifacts have been holding their breath for weeks, waiting for the moment when the French military would seize...
For the Treasures of Timbuktu, a Moment of Grave Peril
As France and its allies try to root out Islamist militants in northern Mali, worry grows over fate of precious manuscripts in the ancient city
Timbuktu’s Destruction: Why Islamists Are Wrecking Mali’s Cultural Heritage
It was a singular, defining act of barbarism, beamed out live for the world to see. In March 2001, Taliban fighters and grandees clustered around the famed giant...
Mali’s Crisis: Terror Stalks the Historic Treasures of Timbuktu
The historic city of Timbuktu, once a byword for a place lost to obscurity and myth, is now in the grip of very real political events. As a military coup...
Postcard: Timbuktu.
The old books inside Fida Ag Mohammed's mud dwelling are no ordinary volumes. Between the intricately hand-tooled goatskin covers are hundreds of pages of Arabic...
Lost Treasures of Timbuktu
Stepping through a low doorway into his small house, Fida Ag Mohammed sits at a table and pats a pile of books in front of him. Even in the dim light it's clear...
The Islamists May Be Gone But Mali’s Legendary Musicians Still Struggle To Be Heard
Music was once Mali's best-known cultural export. Why are its musicians still not performing months after the defeat of the Islamists who had banned music?
France’s Latest Terror Suspect: A French Convert Near Retirement Age
French soldiers in Mali arrest a 58-year-old Frenchman who is suspected of being a member of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb—and who may prove to be a key source...
French President Francois Hollande’s Camel Eaten in Mali
The man is having a seriously bad month.
Jihadi Strike In Timbuktu Reflects Altered Terror Threat In Mali
As France prepares its military departure from Mali, a March 31 strike by militants in Timbuktu indicates how jihadi forces aren't giving up--just reverting to...
So, Who Can We Kill?
Budget politics was topic a when President Obama met privately with Democratic Senators on Capitol Hill on March 12. But some of the President's hosts were...
Al-Qaeda Tipsheet on Avoiding Drones Found in Mali
The instruction to camouflage cars is one of 22 tips on how to avoid drones, listed on a document left behind by the Islamic extremists as they fled northern...
Hide and Seek: 22 Tips on Evading Drones
Pages of a jihadist instruction manual offer Al Qaeda members advice on everything from avoiding drones to shooting them out of the sky.
In Timbuktu, al-Qaeda Left Behind a Manifesto
(TIMBUKTU, Mali) -- In their hurry to flee last month, al-Qaida fighters left behind a crucial document: Tucked under a pile of papers and trash is a...
Soldiers Clash in Mali’s Capital
(TIMBUKTU, Mali) — A woman who lives in the military camp occupied by Mali's Red Beret presidential guard said that a contingent of soldiers from a rival unit...
France’s Mali Mission: Has al-Qaeda Already Been Defeated?
Despite the French army's rapid progress in pushing al-Qaeda-linked extremists to the nether regions of Mali, officials in Paris say full elimination of jihadi...
Mali’s War: After Surging Into the Islamist-Held North, Will France Retreat?
Franco-Malian offensive frees Timbuktu as the last major Mali town held by jihadi militias, but French moves handing over campaign against al-Qaeda allies in...
