Togolese troops board a plane to Bamako, Mali, on Thursday, January 17, at the Lome airport in Togo. Troops from West African countries are heading to Mali as part of a U.N.-mandated African force to fight the insurgents. France is using air and ground power in a joint offensive with Malian soldiers, launched on January 11 against hardline Islamist groups controlling northern Mali.
Helmets belonging to soldiers of the Nigerian army are prepared to be sent to Mali at the Nigerian army peacekeeping center near Kaduna, Nigeria, on January 17.
Malian soldiers stand guard as Mali's President Dioncounda Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako, Mali, on Wednesday, January 16.
A Malian soldier adjusts his weapon as President Traore speaks to French troops at an air base in Bamako on January 16.
French army soldiers stand on armoured vehicles as they leave Bamako and start their deployment to the north of Mali as part of the Serval operation on Tuesday, January 15.
A French flag is hung on a van in Bamako as French troops start a deployment in the north of Mali on Wednesday.
French troops prepare their Sagaie armoured all terrain vehicles from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday.
French troops from the Licorne operation based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, arrive at the 101st military airbase near Bamako on Wednesday to reinforce the Serval operations, before their deployment in the north of Mali.
Malian police patrol in the capital of Bamako on Sunday, January 13.
Malian police patrol Bamako on Sunday.
A British army Boeing C-17 cargo plane from British Brize Norton base lands Sunday at the Evreux military base in France to take supplies to Bamako.
French soldiers prepare cargo for a British plane en route to Bamako on Sunday at the Evreux military base.
A French armored vehicle rolls onto a British army aircraft to be taken to Bamako on Sunday in Evreux.
Workers adjust chains on a vehicle load in the C-17 in Evreux on Sunday.
Internally displaced Malians from Timbuktu chat at a makeshift cafe in Bamako on Sunday.
French President Francois Hollande, right, speaks with members of Malian associations in France during a meeting at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Sunday.
Muslim men protest French military action in Mali outside the French Embassy in central London on Saturday, January 12. About 50 Muslim protesters gathered outside the embassy.
Protesters wave signs outside the French Embassy on Saturday in London.
The interim president of Mali, Dioncounda Traore, speaks after a ministerial cabinet meeting in Bamako on Friday, January 11. Malian authorities declared a state of emergency throughout the country on Friday as the army launched a counteroffensive against Islamists who were pushing south.
- Insurgents are pushed out of Konna, which they captured last week
- France is seeking help from its regional allies and the international community
- The European Union, Canada, Britain and Nigeria are among those assisting
- UNESCO wants protection of Mali's historic sites
Bamako, Mali (CNN) -- French and Malian forces squaring off with Islamist militants seized a key city from them on Friday, a high-ranking French source told CNN.
The city is Konna, located in the central region of Mali, a sprawling, landlocked Saharan nation. That region is the latest front in the grinding fight between the West and al Qaeda-linked militants.
The development is an important advance a week after France launched an air and ground military offensive against a strong militant presence across northern Mali and other locations in the sprawling country.
Insurgents advancing south toward the capital, Bamako, took Konna on January 10. They started retreating a week ago after the French and Malian forces pushed back, with air and fire power.
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The fighting in Mali has captured the world's attention.
It was one of the most successful democracies in Africa until last year, when a coup toppled the president and Islamists capitalized on the chaos by establishing themselves in the north.
There, they imposed a strict interpretation of Sharia law, banning music, smoking, drinking and watching sports on television. They also damaged historic tombs and shrines.
France, once the colonial power in Mali, unleashed an offensive against the militants last week, a mission that President Francois Hollande says is designed to "destroy" the terrorist groups that have taken root.
France is sending troops to Mali from military facilities in Africa and from France. Paris is seeking help from its regional allies and the international community.
Such assistance has its perils. After Algeria permitted France to use its air space to take on insurgents, militants angry at the move stormed a gas field in eastern Algeria and took hostages in what is now an ongoing hostage crisis.
Leaders from several countries have offered troops or logistical support for the offensive.
The European Union has OK'd a training mission. The Canadians and British are deploying military transport aircraft. Nigeria is set to deploy soldiers as part of a U.N.-mandated African force to fight the insurgents.
U.S. policy prohibits direct military aid to Mali because the fledgling government is a result of a coup. No support can go to the Malian military directly until leaders are chosen through an election, said Victoria Nuland, a State Department spokeswoman.
"We are not in a position to train the Malian military until we have democracy restored," she said this week. "But we're not precluded from assisting allies and partners in trying to restore security to that country."
So far, the United States has only shared intelligence from satellites and intercepted signals with the French, defense officials said. The Pentagon is also considering sending refueling tankers so that French jets can fly longer, more sustained combat missions, according to the officials.
In addition, by this weekend, U.S. trainers will be in African nations to train forces that are set to be deployed in Mali, the State Department said.
The situation in Mali also has sparked concern over human rights.
The United Nations has noted accounts of amputations, floggings and public executions such as the July stoning of a couple who had reportedly had an affair. The International Criminal Court has launched a war crimes investigation amid reports that residents have been mutilated and killed for disobeying the Islamists.
The U.N. Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization has issued calls for the protection of cultural heritage sites in Mali.
The ancient city of Timbuktu is a UNESCO World Heritage site of huge cultural significance, but its carefully preserved heritage has come under severe threat amid the ongoing conflict.
The fabled city, whose names is sometimes used in the West as a synonym for a faraway place, was at the center of trans-Sahara trade in earlier times. Last year, al Qaeda-linked rebels in northern Mali destroyed historic and religious landmarks in there, claiming such relics are idolatrous. Now it is threatened by warfare.
"I ask all armed forces to make every effort to protect the cultural heritage of the country, which has already been severely damaged," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in an appeal to all combatants.
"Mali's cultural heritage is a jewel whose protection is important for the whole of humanity. This is our common heritage, nothing can justify damaging it."
CNN's Joe Sterling reported and wrote from Atlanta. CNN's Ingrid Formanek and Nima Elbagir reported from Bamako, Mali
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