Iran Press/ Africa: The soldiers had been participating in a patrol in the vicinity of Aguelhok village when the blast occurred. A Rapid Response Force, backed up by air intervention, was immediately deployed to the site of the explosion to allow for their evacuation and to transport the wounded to MINUSMA hospitals.
In a separate incident, around 1 a.m. (local time), UN peacekeepers in a temporary operating base in the vicinity of Bandiagara, in the Mopti region, exchanged fire with members of an unidentified armed group after they came under attack. A peacekeeper or 'Blue Helmet' was seriously injured and then evacuated by a helicopter for medical treatment, AFP reported.
No terrorist group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.
MINUSMA chief Mahamat Saleh Annadif strongly condemned the recent resurgence of this type of attack, particularly in the central regions of the country.
He also extended his sincere condolences to the family of the deceased soldier and wished speedy recovery for the wounded.
Mali has been in turmoil since Tuareg rebels and loosely-allied militants took over the northern desert regions from the Malian military control in 2012. The ensuing power vacuum allowed extremists linked to al-Qaeda to dominate the territory.
207/211/216
Read more:
Eight dead in the attack in Mali
About 100 killed in Mali attack
