
22 Killed in Day of Attacks by Islamist Rebels in War-Torn African Nation
Suspected Islamic terrorists have carried out a series of attacks in central Mali killing at least 22 people, a spokesman for Mali’s defense minister said Wednesday.
The attacks were the deadliest in Mali since an August military coup overthrew the country’s democratically elected president.
Ten civilians died when a car near a military convoy was ambushed, a spokesman for the Malian defense minister, told The Associated Press.
The ambush on Tuesday was the same day that at least 12 soldiers died in two separate attacks elsewhere in central Mali, the army said on its Facebook page.
Nine people were killed in a nighttime attack, while three other soldiers died in a separate incident, the army said.
Islamic extremist rebels were forced from power in Mali’s northern towns after a 2013 French-led military operation.
However, they quickly regrouped in the desert and began launching frequent attacks on the Malian army and its allies fighting the insurgency.
The extremists also expanded their reach well into central Mali, where their presence has inflamed tensions in the area.
There have been widespread fears that the political upheaval in Mali following the military coup could further embolden Islamic extremists to take advantage of a perceived power vacuum.
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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