Men stand on January 30, 2013 in front of a billboard left by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an offshoot of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), during a ceremony to cleanse the northern city of Gao from traces showing presence of Islamists. Gao was a key Islamist stronghold until it was retaken on January 26 by French and Malian troops in a major boost to the French-led offensive against the Al Qaeda-linked rebels, who have been holding Mali's vast desert north since last April. French troops on January 30 entered Kidal, the last Islamist bastion in Mali's north after a whirlwind Paris-led offensive, as France urged peace talks to douse ethnic tensions targeting Arabs and Tuaregs. Billboard reads: 'Al Hesbah, together for the pleasure of God almighty and the struggle against sins.' AFP PHOTO/ SIA KAMBOU
{"Image ImageDescription": "Men stand on January 30, 2013 in front of a billboard left by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), an offshoot of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), during a ceremony to cleanse the northern city of Gao from traces showing presence of Islamists. Gao was a key Islamist stronghold until it was retaken on January 26 by French and Malian troops in a major boost to the French-led offensive against the Al Qaeda-linked rebels, who have been holding Mali's vast desert north since last April. French troops on January 30 entered Kidal, the last Islamist bastion in Mali's north after a whirlwind Paris-led offensive, as France urged peace talks to douse ethnic tensions targeting Arabs and Tuaregs. Billboard reads: \"Al Hesbah, together for the pleasure of God almighty and the struggle against sins.\"    AFP PHOTO/ SIA KAMBOU        (Photo credit should read SIA KAMBOU/AFP via Getty Images)", "Image Copyright": "2013 AFP"}