Mali: At least five killed by suspected jihadists near capital Bamako

At least five people were killed by suspected jihadists at a checkpoint in southern Mali on Thursday, AFP quoted a senior official in the regional governorate as saying. At dawn, “an armed terrorist group” attacked the Nossombougou checkpoint a few dozen kilometres (miles) north of the capital Bamako, the official said. Two gendarmes, a policeman and two civilians – one a Senegalese driver – died in the attack, he added. Mali security crisis Mali has been battling a security and political crisis since jihadist and separatist insurgencies broke out in the north in 2012. Jihadists affiliated with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group have escalated their operations into central Mali and neighbouring Niger and Burkina Faso. The security crisis was worsened by the withdrawal of French troops from the country in 2022. Suspected jihadists killed five people at a checkpoint in southern Mali on Thursday, a senior official in the regional governorate said. With inputs from AFP Read all the Latest News, Trending News,  Cricket News, Bollywood News, India News and Entertainment News here. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.