On Friday, it was announced in Mali that gunmen had attacked an army checkpoint outside the capital, Bamako, killing at least 6 people and injuring others.
The case raises concerns about impending attacks by extremist groups from the capital.
“Last night, the Zantegila checkpoint was attacked by unknown gunmen,” said Amadou Sango, a spokesman for Mali’s Ministry of Security and Civil Protection. The checkpoint is located about 60 kilometers from Bamako.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but it bears the marks of an al-Qaeda-linked group known as Nusrat al-Islam wa al-Muslimin, which carried out several other attacks in the vicinity of Bamako.
Mali has been struggling to contain an extremist insurgency since 2012.
Extremist rebels were forced to relinquish power in northern cities with a French-led military operation, but they regrouped in the desert and began attacking the Malian army and its allies.
The insecurity was exacerbated by attacks in the northern and central regions.
Source: AFP.