Two soldiers, a civilian and two attackers were killed in a shootout after a car packed with explosives detonated at the headquarters of a new, five-nation West African counter-terror force in Mali.
The attack highlighted the extremist threat in a part of the world that made headlines in October with the killing of four US service members in an ambush in neighbouring Niger.
Residents said the blast at the G5 Sahel headquarters shook the community of Sevare, near the central city of Mopti.
In addition to the deaths two other attackers were captured, G5 Sahel spokesman Abdoul Salam Diagana told the Associated Press.
Four soldiers, three suspected attackers and a civilian were wounded, said Dr Djibril Kassogue with the Sevare Hospital. He added that the lives of those injured are not in danger.This is the first time the G5 Sahel headquarters has been targeted. The assault comes shortly before French President Emmanuel Macron and African leaders meet at an African Union summit starting on Sunday in Mauritania, with the regional extremist threat on the agenda.
There was no immediate information on the attackers’ identity. A number of extremist groups linked to al Qaida and the Islamic State group are active in Mali, often targeting local security forces.
They have also staged high-profile attacks in the capitals of Mali and Burkina Faso, including simultaneous assaults on the French Embassy and army headquarters in Burkina Faso’s capital in March.
The 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force launched last year and includes Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Niger and Mauritania. It has received millions of dollars in backing from the United States, European Union, Saudi Arabia and others.
The new force joins multiple counter-terror efforts in the region including France’s largest overseas military operation, Barkhane.
