On the road to Timbuktu, Mali (CNN) -- French-led troops in Mali have seized control of the airport in Timbuktu from Islamist militants and are fighting their way into the city center, spokesmen for the French Defense Ministry and the Malian military said Monday. "We are winning in Mali," French President Francois Hollande said at a news conference. Malian and French forces have together been battling the Islamists to loosen their grip on the country's north, which the militants have controlled for months. Hollande, who refused to speculate on how long the French intervention would continue, said the Islamists still control the northern part of the country.
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"We are winning in Mali," French president says
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French forces are fighting the remaining Islamists in Timbuktu
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Militants are reported to be fleeing to another city farther northeast
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Malian and French forces recaptured an Islamist stronghold last week
"I urge the @placeholder authorities to put an immediate stop to the alleged abuses and on the basis of the principle of complementarity, to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the alleged crimes."