Mali: Two police officers, one gendarme killed in latest attack

Two Malian police officers and a gendarme were killed Tuesday (Feb.7) in an attack on a checkpoint in western Mali, a country facing jihadist violence.

The attack was carried out on Tuesday afternoon at a checkpoint in the western town of Nara, the capital of the eponymous region which is located near the border with Mauritania, a local official told AFP.

The attackers were "suspected jihadists" who were repelled by security services, a police source said, adding that about 15 assailants had been "neutralised" during the attack.

The Malian army also said in a statement that it had carried out a "special operation" Monday (Feb. 06) night against an "armed terrorist group" in the Korientze area in the Mopti region (central Mali).

A further "30 terrorists" had been "neutralised" in that operation, which also led to the recovery of equipment including AK-47 assault rifles, anti-tank rocket launchers, and walkie-talkies, the army said.  A "search action" was carried out in NGorodia, in the Korientzé sector, with "four terrorists neutralized," military authorities added.

Mali has been plagued over the past decade by the spread of jihadism causing mounting security, political and humanitarian crises.

Violence has been concentrated in the center and east of the country but has spread to neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.