A Malian woman waits at a checkpoint on the banks of the Niger river outside Gao, northern Mali, Thursday, Feb. 7, 2013. French troops began to withdraw from Timbuktu Thursday after securing the fabled city as they ramped up their mission in another northern Mali city, searching for Islamic extremists who may be mixing among the local population. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay)

Photos of the day - February 7, 2013