( CNN ) -- French-led troops in Mali now control the ancient city of Timbuktu , the city of Gao and the swath in between that was an Islamist stronghold for almost a year , the French Defense Ministry said . `` We are winning in Mali , '' French President Francois Hollande said at a news conference Monday , but he added that militants still control parts of the north . Hollande did not say how long France will maintain troops in its former colony . The country has 2,150 soldiers on Malian soil , with 1,000 more troops supporting the operation from elsewhere . The United States has also stepped up its involvement in the conflict by conducting aerial refueling missions on top of the intelligence and airlift support it was already providing . Britain said Tuesday it will provide military support but wo n't take part in combat . The United Kingdom is prepared to deploy up to 40 troops to a European Union military training mission in Mali , and up to 200 troops as trainers in English-speaking West African countries , British Defence Minister Philip Hammond told lawmakers in the House of Commons . In addition , the European Union said Tuesday it will contribute $ 67 million to support the African-led International Support Mission to Mali . The nations are joined together in an effort to prevent the Islamists from turning the once peaceful democracy into a haven for international terrorists . The Islamic extremists carved out a large portion in northern Mali last year , taking advantage of a chaotic situation after a military coup by the separatist party MNLA . They banned music , smoking , drinking and watching sports on television . They also destroyed historic tombs and shrines there . But with the French-led offensive sending the militants on the run , residents once again roamed the streets without fear . Flushing the Islamists out of Timbuktu , Mali 's historic cultural center , is a big symbolic gain . Amid international outrage , the Islamists repeatedly targeted Timbuktu 's ancient burial sites . They regarded such shrines as idolatrous and thus prohibited by their strict interpretation of Islam . As a column of military vehicles drove through Gao over the weekend , villagers chanted `` Mali ! Mali ! '' Young men on motorcycles rode alongside the convoy , wildly waving Mali 's flag and euphorically praising France and freedom . Others lined the sides of the street , holding up beer bottles . They could once again drink , free from the oppressive dictates of the Islamists . The mayor of Gao returned from exile and addressed the boisterous crowd . No one could hear a word he said . But it did n't matter . He was back -- another sign that normalcy was returning . Raising money for Mali . Other countries in Africa and around the world have pledged $ 455 million at a donors ' conference for Mali in the Ethiopian city of Addis Ababa . Among the donors , Japan pledged $ 120 million , the United States pledged $ 96 million , pending congressional approval , and the European Union pledged just over $ 67 million . Senegal , Nigeria and Ghana pledged $ 3 million each , and China and India pledged $ 1 million each . `` I thank you on behalf of the people of Mali , '' Malian President Dioncounda Traore said . He announced plans to hold elections on July 31 . The money will support military efforts led by the African-led International Support Mission in Mali and the Malian army , the work of the Economic Organization of West African States on Mali and humanitarian assistance . U.N. gears up for returns . More than 380,000 people have fled northern Mali in the last year : 230,000 are internally displaced , and more than 150,000 refugees are in Mauritania , Niger , Burkina Faso and Algeria , the United Nations says . But now , as French and Malian forces take back ground from militants , the U.N. refugee agency is preparing for the `` possible spontaneous return of thousands of conflict-displaced people . '' The agency , in a statement , reported that displaced people interviewed in the capital , Bamako , said they hoped to return soon . `` Returns are not yet a wide trend , but they are already being seen in some instances , '' the agency said . Displaced people told U.N. interviewers that they hope to return soon to areas such as Gao , Timbuktu and Kidal . U.N. officials say people are returning to Konna , which many residents fled after militants overran that city . The seizure of Konna , on January 10 , prompted the French military intervention in Mali . The town is back under Mali 's control . Journalists Lindsey Hilsum and Isma'il Kushkush and CNN 's Joe Sterling and Richard Greene contributed to this report .
NEW : Nearly half a billion dollars pledged at donors ' conference . Comment: U.N. gears up for the return of displaced people ; UK outlines military support . Flushing the Islamists out of Timbuktu is a big symbolic gain .