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| Africa North |
| Rocket attack on UN camp in Mali kills one, wounds 9 |
| 2017-05-04 |
| [AlAhram] Shelling and rocket fire on a UN camp in Mali's troubled Timbuktu killed one yet to be identified person and maimed nine peacekeepers, the United Nations ...a formerly good idea gone bad... mission said Wednesday. It is the latest attack to hit the mission, known as MINSUMA, stationed in the country since 2013 and considered its most dangerous active peacekeeping deployment. "A mortar and rocket attack was launched against the MINUSMA camp in Timbuktu," a UN statement said. "The provisional toll is nine maimed among the peacekeepers, four seriously who are being evacuated to Bamako. The attack also killed one person, they are still being identified," it added. The UN mission said it had reinforced the camp's defences and deployed air cover to identify where the enemy fire had originated, describing it as a "terrorist" attack. Sweden's armed forces confirmed one of its soldiers was maimed, though not severely. "A Swedish soldier was lightly injured and is now being cared for by the Swedish medical unit," it said in a statement. Liberia's armed forces, who also have peacekeepers among the mission, also confirmed "several injuries and other casualties", according to Prince Johnson, deputy chief of staff, but would not specify more. "We are investigating the matter," he added. Northern Mali fell to Islamist Lion of Islam groups linked to al-Qaeda in March 2012, and although these forces were driven out of key towns by a French-led military intervention the following year, the Islamists have now spread further south. The 13,000-strong UN mission was deployed to provide security and assist Malian troops struggling to keep the country safe, but it has been targeted constantly by Islamist Lion of Islams, with dozens of peacekeepers killed. Three Malian Islamist Lion of Islam groups with previous al-Qaeda links recently joined forces to create the "Group to Support Islam and Moslems" (GSIM), led by Iyad Ag Ghaly of Ansar Dine ...a mainly Tuareg group that controlled areas of Mali's northern desert together with Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and MUJAO in early 2012... , and have killed Malian soldiers further east near the Burkina Faso ...The country in west Africa that they put where Upper Volta used to be. Its capital is Oogadooga, or something like that. Its president is currently Blaise Compaoré, who took office in 1987 and will leave office feet first, one way or the other... border. Nine Malian soldiers were killed and five maimed Tuesday, an attack that has become near routine in the country's north and centre. |
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