BAMAKO: Local officials said on Friday that five people were killed in a shelling attack in Timbuktu, Mali.
AFP reported that the attack took place on Thursday. Local governor Bakoun Kante said that five victims of the attack were buried on Friday. Health officials said that over 20 people were wounded in the assault.
Five Killed in Mali: Officials
Earlier local authorities in the area said that three shells were fired by the militants in Timbuktu. They added that three civilians, including children, were killed in the attack. As per AFP reports, the Al-Qaeda-linked GSIM militant group in August declared “war in Timbuktu”.
Militants have been extending their power over rural regions around the better-defended region in Mali, probably aiming to upsurge pressure on the government rather than to take over the area.
Mali’s military regime, which took power in 2020, confronts security issues across the country but has played down the atmosphere in Timbuktu.
