Turkey condemns attack on UN peacekeepers in Mali

ANKARA

Turkey on Thursday condemned an attack on UN peacekeepers in Mali that killed seven peacekeepers and wounded three.

“We are saddened to receive the news that 7 Togolese peacekeepers in MINUSMA (United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali) lost their lives in a terrorist attack carried out yesterday (8 December) on MINUSMA convoy in the Mopti region of Mali,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We strongly condemn this heinous terrorist attack, extend our condolences to the families and relatives of Togolese peacekeepers who lost their lives,” it added.

The casualties occurred in an explosion Wednesday in central Mali, according to MINUSMA.

A logistics convoy struck an improvised explosive device in the Bandiagara region as it was headed to the town of Sevare from Douentza, according to spokesperson for MINUSMA, Olivier Salgado.

No group has claimed responsibility for the blast that came on the heels of recent attacks on four MINUSMA camps in northern Mali.

The UN mission has recorded more than 230 fatalities since its deployment in Mali in 2013, according to UN data.

Mali has been battling an insurgency linked to the al-Qaeda and Daesh/ISIS terror groups since 2012 when unrest erupted in the north of the West African country.​​​​​​​

The violence, which has killed thousands of civilians and troops, has also spread to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.