Four peacekeepers have been killed in a large-scale rebel attack on a UN peacekeeping camp in Ageloka, northern Mali on Friday, the UN mission said.
The peacekeepers “bravely repelled a complex attack by a number of heavily armed terrorists,” the mission said in a statement. The attackers suffered heavy losses and left several dead on the battlefield.
UN Secretary-General Antoniu Guterres said in a statement that he “condemned” the attack in the strongest possible terms, and praised the soldiers who repulsed the attack.
19 people were injured in the battle.
The attack took place 200 kilometers from the Algerian border, a source in the UN mission said, saying that Chadian soldiers had been in the UN peacekeeping unit.
About 100 militants arrived by car and motorcycle took part in the attack.
About 20 attackers have lost their lives, the source said.
Ten UN mission soldiers have been killed in Mali since the beginning of the year.
Two Malian soldiers were killed and about ten were injured in another jihadist attack in central Mali on Friday morning, the Malian army said.
Mali will continue operations to quell the Islamist insurgent movement that erupted in 2012 in the north of the country. Over time, Islamists also launched attacks in central Mali, as well as in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.
Thousands have lost their lives in the conflict, but hundreds of thousands have been forced to flee their homes.
France In 2013, Mali engaged in operations against jihadists, and 5,100 French troops are currently stationed in the Sahel region. Mali is a former French colony.
–
Highlight text and press Ctrl+Enterto send the text to be edited!
Highlight text and press Report a bug buttons to send the text to be edited!
–
–
