Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) have ruled that there is enough evidence to press ahead with the war crimes charges against a Malian jihadist accused of destroying cultural sites in Timbuktu, AFP news agency reports.
Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi will be tried for "the war crime of attacking buildings dedicated to religion and historic monuments" in 2012, when many of the ancient shrines were destroyed.
It is the first case of its kind.
Mr Mahdi first appeared before the court in September. He was handed over by Niger after the ICC issued a warrant for his arrest.
Islamists occupied Timbuktu until they were ousted by French forces in 2013.
Treasures of Timbuktu
- Timbuktu was a centre of Islamic learning from the13th to the 17th Centuries
- 700,000 manuscripts had survived in public libraries and private collections
- Books on religion, law, literature and science
- Added to Unesco world heritage list in 1988 for its three mosques and 16 cemeteries and mausoleums
- They played a major role in spreading Islam in West Africa; the oldest dates from 1329
- Islamists destroyed mausoleums after seizing the city in April 2012
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