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And I'm Renee Montagne.
We're going to listen this morning to the sounds near the frontlines of Mali's civil war. A rebellion in that country has captured global attention. Rebels who've taken over half the country have been imposing harsh version of Islamic law.
After months of retreat, the Malian government has finally made an advance. In the last week, French airstrikes and ground troops have helped government forces retake the strategic town of Diabaly village. It's the first major victory in the fight to reclaim the North. NPR's Ofeibea Quist-Arcton traveled to that town.
OFEIBEA QUIST-ARCTON, BYLINE: This is the entrance to Diabaly village and I am surrounded by five burned-out, bombed-out pick-up trucks that belonged to the Islamist rebels. Now, they were hit by French air strikes, French bombs.
So all around me, littering the sandy ground, are bullet cases, and there's a mortar shell there and a rocket propelled grenade. On the pick-up behind, some huge, heavy weaponry mounted behind the van.
(SOUNDBITE OF VOICE MIMICKING GUNFIRE)
QUIST-ARCTON: Mimicking the sound of gunfire, Kadiatou Sissoko describes the jihadist occupation of Diabaly and the heavy fighting that followed last week. Troops from Mali and France battled to dislodge them and cut off the rebel advance south - towards the capital, Bamako.
KADIATOU SISSOKO: (Foreign language spoken)
QUIST-ARCTON: Madame Sissoko says she fled from her mud-brick house, taking refuge out of the range of the rebels until they were chased out of town. Like many other residents, Madame Sissoko says the insurgents have nothing in common with the people of Diabaly.
SISSOKO: (Through translator) Who are they? We don't know them or the religion they're trying to impose on us here. They are not Muslims. We know true Islam and what the rebels are pedaling is not genuine Islam. We don't know anything about cutting off people's arms, legs and ears as punishment. That's not in our culture.
QUIST-ARCTON: Al-Qaida-linked fighters seized the vast northern desert region of Mali last April, after hijacking a rebellion by separatist Tuareg nomads. The rebels have imposed harsh Islamic law in areas under their control - amputating limbs, forcing women to wear veils, and banning music, smoking and watching television. The jihadis are reported to allow terrorism and trafficking to flourish in a notoriously lawless zone.
(SOUNDBITE OF SINGING)
QUIST-ARCTON: A worshipper at Diabaly's handsome, sun-baked earth mosque tells us that instead of the muezzin calling the faithful to prayer, the rebels would fire twice in the air to signal prayer time.
The chief imam is Ibrahim Maiga.
IBRAHIM MAIGA: (Through translator) I'm angry at them. I studied Islam. I know everything they know. Not one of the rebels came to my home or to the mosque to see me. If they were true Muslims, they should have looked for me, because I am the religious leader here.
(SOUNDBITE OF EXPLOSION)
QUIST-ARCTON: A loud bang as French forces destroy ordinance they say well-armed Islamist fighters purloined. It took considerable firepower by the French, and fighting by Malian troops, to be able to wrest back control of Diabaly from the jihadis.
French Captain Antoine says the Malian and French armies working in tandem are formidable opponents.
CAPTAIN ANTOINE: If I were a jihadist, I wouldn't try. They are trained. They are mobile. We are also trained. We are mobile, so we are ready. We are ready. We are trained. We know the environment, and I'm quite confident in our troops. I'm confident in Malian counterparts.
QUIST-ARCTON: That confidence could be shaken by allegations of summary executions and retaliatory killings of supposed Islamist collaborators by Malian soldiers this month.
France-based International Federation for Human Rights says Mali's army is behind more than 30 killings. Human Rights Watch, based in New York, has also reported rights' abuses by Malian soldiers. The French defense minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, says it's a matter of honor to ensure there are no such violations.
Ofeibea Quist-Arcton, NPR News, Diabaly.