Mali's unrest stems from a 2012 Tuareg separa­tist uprisi­ng which was exploi­ted by milita­ntsBAMAKO: Seven soldiers and a civilian driver were killed in central Mali when their vehicle hit explosives in the latest attack in an area riven by militant violence, the defence ministry said Thursday. Wednesday’s “cowardly terrorist attack” took place between the northern city of Timbuktu and Mopti in the centre, a statement said, adding that the soldiers were on an escort mission. Mali’s unrest stems from a 2012 Tuareg separatist uprising which was exploited by militants in order to take over key cities in the north. French forces kill at least 10 militants in MaliThe extremists were largely driven out in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013. But large stretches of the country remain out of the control of Malian, French and UN forces, which are frequent targets of attacks.

Source: The Express Tribune September 27, 2018 17:15 UTC