Timbuktu falls to French, Malian forces

A Malian soldier pushes suspected Islamist extremists to lie in the back of an army truck in Gao, northern Mali on Tuesday. Four suspects were arrested after being found by a youth militia calling themselves the "Gao Patrolmen." Malian soldiers prevented the mob from lynching them.

A Malian soldier pushes suspected Islamist extremists to lie in the back of an army truck in Gao, northern Mali on Tuesday. Four suspects were arrested after being found by a youth militia calling themselves the “Gao Patrolmen.” Malian soldiers prevented the mob from lynching them.  (Jerome Delay / Associated Press)

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As Timbuktu falls to French and Malian forces, inhabitants who have fled tell horror stories of life under Islamic militants, who amputated limbs, demanded strict adherence to Islamic law and torched some of the historic treasures of the Malian town, which has been named a World Heritage Site.

Timbuktu, Mali

A Malian soldier tries to disperse a crowd in Timbuktu as residents plunder stores they say belong to Arabs, Mauritanians and Algerians whom they accuse of supporting the Al Qaeda-linked Islamists during their 10-month rule over the ancient center of Islamic learning. French-led troops freed the northern desert city from Islamist control on Monday.   (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)

Timbuktu, Mali

A man and a child carry a mirror Tuesday in Timbuktu as residents plunder stores they say belong to Arabs, Mauritanians and Algerians whom they accuse of supporting the Al Qaeda-linked Islamists during their 10-month rule over the ancient center of Islamic learning.  (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)

Timbuktu, Mali

People loot a store in Timbuktu on Tuesday. Hundreds of Malians looted stores in Timbuktu, saying the shops belonged to “Arabs” and “terrorists” linked to the radical Islamists who occupied the desert town for 10 months.  (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)

Timbuktu

Children wave after Malian and French soldiers entered the historic city of Timbuktu. A sign attesting to its occupation by Islamist militants reads, “The city of Timbuktu is founded on Islam and will be judged only by the Islamic law.”  (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)

Malian troops

Onlookers gather to watch the arrival of Malian troops in Timbuktu. French troops blocked access to the Saharan city while Malian troops worked to flush out any remaining rebels, a French military spokesman said in Paris.   (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)

Malian troops

Residents welcome Malian soldiers in Timbuktu. The city’s mayor confirmed that fleeing Islamist militants had set ablaze the Ahmed Baba Institute, a library where ancient manuscripts were stored, some dating to the 12th century.   (Eric Feferberg / AFP/Getty Images)