TIMBUKTU, Mali On the day the French came and the Islamists left, Hawi Traore folded up her veil and tied on a vibrantly colored wraparound dress. The next day, she wore heels. The day after, she got her hair braided and slipped on sparkly earrings.

And finally, on Thursday, the 12-year-old girl turned the music on her cellphone back on and danced in the streets, celebrating freedom from the draconian rules imposed by al-Qaeda-linked militants on this desert capital for much of the past year.

Four days since French commandos parachuted onto the sand north of Timbuktu and liberated the storied city from the Islamists, there is a growing sense of freedom particularly among women.

Their jubilation

Malian girl Azahara Abdu, who was allegedly sexually abused by Islamists, stands in her home in the newly liberated ancient city of Timbuktu. French-led forces have recaptured the city in their offensive against Islamist rebels.

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Freedom returns to Timbuktu after months of radical Islamic rule