Suicide attackers injure one French 5 Estonian troops at Mali base

SUICIDE ATTACKERS INJURE ONE FRENCH, 5 ESTONIAN TROOPS AT MALI BASE

PARIS: Suicide bombers in a vehicle painted with UN markings injured one French, several Estonian troops and two Malian civilians in an attack on an international peace-keeping base in Mali, France’s military said Tuesday. The car bomb blast at the base — which is shared between the French military, the UN peacekeeping mission in Mali, known as MINUSMA, and Mali’s armed forces — targeted the entrance to the French part of the camp on Monday.

French military spokesman Colonel Frederic Barbry told AFP that a “suicide vehicle” was used in the attack. “Two Estonian troops and one French soldier, wounded, remain hospitalised,“ he said, adding that their conditions were not life-threatening.

Estonia’s defence ministry said five of its soldiers had suffered injuries. Two Malian civilians were also wounded in the blast, according to the French military. “Two people were in the suicide vehicle, which bore the MINUSMA colours,“ Barbry said. He added that one attacker, dressed in a uniform resembling that of the Malian army, “was neutralised by the guards after exiting the vehicle, armed and making aggressive gestures”. The other was killed in the explosion.

A Malian security source had earlier told AFP that there were at least three suicide bombers in the car, which had been painted in the colours of UN vehicles. Malian authorities have struggled to improve security since France intervened in 2013 to drive back Islamic insurgents in the north. Large swathes of the West African country remain out of the government’s control.

Around 50 Estonian troops provide protection and security patrols for the Gao camp, which is the main base for the French Operation Barkhane. A year ago, French soldiers on patrol were targeted in Gao by a car bomb attack, which left four dead and around 20 civilians wounded.

Around 4,000 French troops are deployed under Operation Barkhane alongside the MINUSMA peacekeeping force of around 15,000 soldiers and police.