MOPTI, Mali (AP) — Mali’s military and French forces have pushed toward the Islamic extremist stronghold in the city of Gao, in their farthest push east since launching an operation two weeks ago to retake land controlled by the rebels, residents and a security official said today.

The soldiers were seen in the town of Hombori, according to residents, who said they stayed several hours in the area before heading out.

“They were in eight all-terrain vehicles and two armored vehicles,” said Maouloud Daou, a resident of Hombori. “They asked us if there were Islamists in the town and we told them they had left. People were very happy to see the Malian and French military.”

A Malian security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to journalists, confirmed the advance.