Mali: 3 civilians killed in attack targeting foreign troops claimed by Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) rebels
Three Malian civilians have been killed and around 30 people wounded in a suicide attack in the country’s violence-hit north, officials said, as a diplomat said some of the injured were sub-contractors for the UN.
The attack took place late on Monday in the city of Gao when a 4×4 vehicle blew up in a residential area, the security ministry said.
The blast was claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist group operating in the Sahel region. It has ties to al-Qaeda and was blacklisted by Washington in September.
The GSIM - the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM) - said the attack had targeted “invading crusader forces” in central Gao in an area “where there are British, German and Canadian troops”.