EU’s military mission in Mali attacked by gunmen

Gunmen have attacked the European Union military training mission’s headquarters in the Malian capital, Bamako, in what appeared to be the latest in a string of attacks on Western interests in the region. Armed forces killed at least one man. It was not immediately known how many people had launched the assault. Sgt Baba Dembele from the anti-terrorism unit in Bamako said it was believed some attackers had entered the Hotel Nord-Sud, where the mission is headquartered. The EU mission later said on Twitter that no personnel had been wounded and its forces were securing the area. EU soldiers, the Malian army, national police and other security forces stood outside the hotel. The assault comes about four months after jihadis attacked the Radisson Blu hotel in Mali’s capital, killing 20 people. Al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb and al-Mourabitoun claimed responsibility for the attack, saying it was their first joint attack since al-Mourabitoun joined al-Qaida’s north Africa branch in 2015. In January, other extremists from the same militant groups attacked a cafe near a hotel popular with foreigners in Burkina Faso’s capital, killing at least 30 people. And last week al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb claimed responsibility for an assault on a beach in Ivory Coast that left at least 19 dead, identifying the three attackers as members of al-Mourabitoun and Sahara units. This week marks the fourth anniversary of the coup that unleashed widespread chaos in Mali. After the overthrow of the democratically elected president, extremists in the northern half of Mali took over the major towns and began implementing their strict interpretation of Islamic law. The amputations and public whippings only ended when a French-led military mission forced them from power in 2013. Over the past year, the jihadis have mounted a growing wave of violent attacks against UN peacekeepers who are trying to help stabilise the country. Thanks for reading.

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