Mali attack kills peacekeeper, wounds 10 French soldiers

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Officials say a U.N. peacekeeper is dead and 10 French soldiers have been wounded after a jihadist attack in northern Mali.

Residents in the town of Timbuktu reported hearing two large detonations Saturday near a camp for the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA.

Ten soldiers from the French military operation known as Barkhane were among those hurt — five seriously, according to the Malian security ministry.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility though a number of extremist groups are active in the region.

A security official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to reporters, said one of the vehicles used in the attack had been disguised as a MINUSMA vehicle while the other was marked as a Malian military vehicle.