India condemns terror attack on Malian armed forces

On August 19, a convoy of the Malian army was ambushed by gunmen in central Mali, killing at least 15 soldiers. According to a statement of the Malian military, the soldiers had been heading from the town of Douentza to Boni when it came under attack by a vehicle that exploded as it passed, followed by intense gunfire.

New Delhi: India on Thursday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the Malian Armed Forces in Mali's Mopti region, which saw more than a dozen soldiers killed and many others wounded in an ambush.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on Thursday said, "India strongly condemns the terrorist attack on a convoy of the Malian Armed Forces on 19 August 2021 in the Mopti region in Mali that resulted in the killing of fifteen Malian soldiers."

On August 19, a convoy of the Malian army was ambushed by gunmen in central Mali, killing at least 15 soldiers. According to a statement of the Malian military, the soldiers had been heading from the town of Douentza to Boni when it came under attack by a vehicle that exploded as it passed, followed by intense gunfire.

The attack came just days after another attack in the country's north left several dozen civilians dead.

"We extend our deepest condolences to the families of the soldiers as well as the people and the Government of Mali and wish for the speedy recovery of all the other injured soldiers", MEA further added.

Several other incidents of terrorist attacks in Mali have been reported in the past few weeks Earlier this month, three Malian soldiers were killed in an explosion of an artisanal mine on the road to Menaka airport, in the northeast of the country.

Mali is the right largest country in Africa.