Article updated: 2/2/2013 8:02 PM

French president visits Mali to cheers of support

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French President Francois Hollande visits Timbuktu, Mali, on Saturday.

Associated Press

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“Alongside the Malians and the Africans, we have liberated this town. Today Timbuktu. Tomorrow Kidal. And others are still to come,” French President Francois Hollande told the French troops who stood at attention on the tarmac of the city’s airport. They secured the airfield on Monday, after special forces parachuted onto the dunes just north of the city. They were joined by 600 infantrymen, who came in by land in a convoy of armored cars. “You have accomplished an exceptional mission.”