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Also: Rescuing precious manuscripts in Timbuktu; the birth of the Midwestern noir novel; and a campaign against explicit passages in The Diary of Anne Frank.

Among them, specific tips on how to scramble signals and more obvious tips on hiding beneath trees. The document was left behind as al-Qaida fighters streamed out of Timbuktu.

It now appears that most ancient manuscripts at a library in Mali survived an attempt by Islamic radicals to destroy them. Local residents apparently removed them earlier, according to reports from Timbuktu.

A famed library and research center held books and manuscripts dating back to the 13th century. Residents say Islamist radicals torched them before fleeing the town.

In the West African nation of Mali, residents of Timbuktu were cheering in the streets Monday, after the city was liberated by French and Malian forces after months under the harsh rule of Islamist fighters. In a final act of cultural warfare before fleeing Timbuktu, the rebels are reported to have set fire to libraries housing priceless manuscripts.

It's feared that thousands of ancient manuscripts may have been destroyed in the fire. The oldest is said to date to 1204. Meanwhile, French and Malian forces are securing the ancient city and searching for the Islamist extremists.

The coup in Mali earlier this year and occupation of the north by al-Qaida affiliates have devastated the economy, especially the tourism sector, the country's third-largest revenue generator. Tourist arrivals have plummeted, and all Malians, from river guides to tailors, are suffering.

A coup in the capital and a rebellion in the north have put Mali's cultural treasures at risk. Ancient holy sites have been damaged or destroyed, and an international music festival in the Sahara Desert may be in jeopardy.

Islamist extremists have been knocking down centuries-old tombs and other sites sacred to Sufis. Little can be done to stop them. There's no effective government in Mali. The democratically elected president was toppled in a coup earlier this year.

The ancient desert town of Timbuktu is under assault in the west African nation of Mali. Islamist forces have taken over much of northern Mali where Timbuktu is located. One group, allied with al-Qaida, has begun systematically destroying Shrines that celebrate ancient Muslim saints. Human Rights Watch Senior Researcher Corinne Dufka talks to Renee Montagne about the destruction.