The US began airlifting French troops to Bamako. French airstrikes attacked Islamist command centers in Timbuktu. The Malian Army chief of staff said that with consistent support, the effort to recapture Timbuktu and Gao from Islamist forces should take no more than a month. Chad is sending 2,000 troops to join the effort. The Tuareg MNLA reportedly offered to join the ECOWAS force, AFISMA.
