Mali: three French soldiers injured in an explosion against one of their vehicle

An explosion hit a vehicle from Barkhane on Monday (June 21) in the Kaigourou neighborhood of Gossi, central Mali, injuring soldiers of the French anti-jihadist force in the Sahel, local officials said.

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A Malian military official and a local elected official speaking on condition of anonymity reported three wounded French soldiers, evacuated by helicopter to the Barkhane base in Gao. No official confirmation was obtained from the French general staff at first. The explosion was attributed to a vehicle bomb by sources familiar with the circumstances of the attack.

Wassim Nasri, journalist for France 24, recalls that this attack comes after an attack on the Czech army, integrated within the Takuba force, was attacked on Saturday with an improvised explosive device in Ménaka. In addition, this attack comes after the first speech of the new head of Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb who called to attack the French armies, targeting cities in particular. Porpoises from the Poitiers RICM would be deployed on site.