French troops began to withdraw from Timbuktu on Thursday after securing the fabled city as they ramped up their mission in another northern Mali city, searching for Islamic extremists who may be mixing among the local population.
French military spokesman Colonel Thierry Burkhard said on Thursday that the operation to secure Gao is still under way, nearly two weeks after French and Malian troops moved into the area. New clashes nearby raised questions about how solid a hold the French military has on the strategic area.
There is a risk of “residual presence” of terrorists mixed among the population, Burkhard said from Paris. Extremists fired rocket launchers at French troops near Gao on Tuesday.
France launched a military operation in Mali on January 11 to help the Malian government restore control. Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida had imposed severe rule in northern Mali then started pushing toward the capital last month.
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told a group of journalists Thursday that the military operation “so far has been effective and successful.”
“ All these jihadists and armed groups and terrorist elements – seemingly – they have fled somewhere,’ he said. “Our concern is that they may come back. As you have seen yesterday, they are hitting back in some areas. It is good that Timbuktu and Gao and all these major cities have been cleared.”