French and Malian forces have retaken the northern Malian cities of Gao and Timbuktu from Islamist rebels, security officials said Monday.
Coalition troops, backed by French warplanes, took the airport in Timbuktu early Monday and moved into the city center, which had been held by the Islamist rebels since June.
Some 250 paratroopers quickly took control of strategic locations across the city, a security spokesman told Efe.
The retaking of Timbuktu came shortly after the airport in the city fell to French-led forces and just two days after allied troops entered Gao, the largest city in northern Mali.