Three peacekeepers killed, six wounded by assault in northern Mali

Three United Nations peacekeepers from Ivory Coast died and 6 extra had been wounded when their automobile struck an improvised explosive system and so they got here underneath assault by unidentified gunmen in northern Mali’s Timbuktu area, the UN mission in Mali and Ivory Coast’s military mentioned.
The deaths occurred throughout a safety operation on Wednesday alongside the Douentza and Timbuktu axis about 20 kilometres (12 miles) north of the city of Bamabara-Maoude, the mission generally known as MINUSMA mentioned in a press release.
The attackers fled the scene and medical evacuations had been carried out by helicopters, the mission mentioned.
Mahamat Saleh Annadif, the UN particular envoy who heads the UN mission, condemned the assault.
“At a time when all efforts are being made to bring Mali out of the rut, I deeply deplore the upsurge in these attacks against national and international forces, as well as civilian populations,” he mentioned.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres strongly condemned the assault and emphasised that assaults on UN peacekeepers could represent a conflict crime,” UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric mentioned.
“He calls on the Malian authorities to spare no efforts in identifying and promptly bringing to justice the perpetrators of this heinous attack,” Dujarric mentioned.

The chief of employees of Ivory Coast’s military, Gen Lassina Doumbia, mentioned the three useless peacekeepers had been from Ivory Coast and so they had been attacked by extremists.
The UN peacekeeping mission has been in Mali since 2013, after Islamic extremists took management of main cities within the north. A French-led navy operation dislodged the rebels, however the jihadists have since regrouped in rural areas and expanded their attain, focusing on Mali’s military and the UN mission.

According to the UN, 231 peacekeepers in Mali have been killed as a result of hostile incidents.