French military equipment lands in Mali as part of an ongoing operation to crush an Islamist insurgency in the north.
France now has 2,900 troops on the ground.
French President Francois Hollande says restoring northern Mali will be up to African forces.
(SOUNDBITE) (French) FRENCH PRESIDENT FRANCOIS HOLLANDE SAYING:
"What do we still need to do? Stop the terrorist offensive. That's done. Then we will retake the towns with Malian and African forces. We are still in the process of that operation."
Early Monday French and Malian forces took control of the the airport in Timbuktu.
France says it is avoiding combat inside the city to preserve the history of a town considered a seat of Islamic learning.
