Mali: 5 personnel killed in suspected jihadist attack on army convoy; third in a month

In the third terror attack in a month, at least five armed personnel were killed by unidentified gunmen in Dideni area of Mali. Four others were also wounded in the ambush on an army-escorted convoy on Tuesday, ANI reported citing Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) statement. The incident took place about 188km north of Bamako between Sebabougou and Kwala.

According to FAMa, the attack was carried out by the rebels backed by the jihadist forces. The assailants also burned down 11 trailers in the area, the military confirmed. However, FAMa refused to divulge information about the identity of the gunmen quoting security reasons. Meanwhile, the Moroccan embassy in Mali assured that there were no Moroccan casualties in the incident that took place on September 28.

Five soldiers killed in an ambush 

On September 12, as many as five soldiers and three terrorists were killed when an armed terrorist group attacked a military patrol in central Mali, reported Xinhua news, citing a Malian Armed Forces statement. The ambush was set by the terrorist group on Sunday morning at 11:45 am (local time), to which the army's Operation Maliko patrol team retaliated courageously, FAMa added. On the same day, two drivers of Moroccan origin were killed by the armed men in Dideni town about 100kms from the Malian capital Bamako. 

Earlier in August, another terrorist attack had ravaged the country when as many as 51 civilians were killed. The terrorists had set ablaze several homes after infiltrating remote villages on motorbikes in the country's northwestern region. Later, a patrol team from the Malian military rushed to the regions to counter the attacks.

The Malian Conflict

According to the Sipri organisation, the "multidimensional" Malian crisis began after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi's regime in Libya. The volatility in western parts of Mali, mostly the Sahel region has continued to escalate since 2012. This has plunged the nation into a multifaceted crisis like an appalling economy and humanitarian crisis. Local incursions and inter-communal violence fuelled by jihadists have also led to the deaths and displacement of thousands.

With inputs from ANI and AP

Image: AP/PIXABAY (representative)