BAMAKO, Mali – Timbuktu has been hit by a prolonged battle between Islamic extremists and the Malian and French armies, residents and a Malian military spokesman said Sunday.

Fighters linked to al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb, or AQIM, attacked the city in northern Mali late Saturday and continued fighting Sunday, said Capt. Samba Coulibaly, spokesman for the Malian military in Timbuktu.

Additional Photos

A Malian soldier walks in Gao, northern Mali. French troops joined the Malian army in Timbuktu on Sunday to fight Islamic radicals. AP file photo

The attack started about 10 p.m. Saturday when a jihadist suicide bomber blew himself up at a Malian military checkpoint at the western entrance to Timbuktu, he said.

“The jihadist was on foot and died on the spot, but his explosives lightly injured one of our soldiers,” Coulibaly said.

The French military joined the Malian army Sunday to fight the Islamic radicals, Timbuktu residents said.

As of Sunday afternoon, shooting could still be heard in the city.

Resident Age Djitteye said that one of the jihadists tried to take cover inside his family’s compound: “He was young. He was wearing a robe, and had ammunition belts across his chest and a turban. He came inside our compound, and then the French came. He ran and they chased him.”

Djitteye said a suicide bomber blew himself up on one of the only paved roads at the heart of Timbuktu, close to the Hotel Colombe, the town’s main hotel used by journalists and aid workers.

The fighters had taken over the back of the hotel complex, near the swimming pool, said Agaly Cisse, a hotel employee. The hotel had been hosting a large government delegation, including the governor of the region, he said. The guests were evacuated to the French army base, Cisse said.

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