Malian troops backed by French forces on Sunday clashed with Islamist fighters who had infiltrated the northern city of Timbuktu, leaving two jihadists dead and four Malian soldiers wounded, a Malian army officer said.
"Jihadists have infiltrated the centre of Timbuktu... Our men are currently fighting them with the support of a unit of our French partner," the Malian officer told AFP by telephone.
"Two jihadists have been killed and four Malian soldiers have been injured. That's the provisional toll," the officer said, adding the fighting "is not yet over".
The Islamist fighters who had controlled the fabled Saharan city before French and Malian soldiers recaptured it in January have been able to blend into the population to launch attacks, infiltrating it by foot or bicycle.
The officer said the fighting began when the Islamist rebels opened fire on two sides of the centre of the city, targeting a hotel and a military base.
On Saturday, a suicide bomber blew himself up when he tried to force his way through a military barricade at the western entrance to Timbuktu, wounding a soldier manning the checkpoint.
Mali has been the target of a series of attacks claimed by Islamist insurgents since France launched on January 11 a military intervention against Al-Qaeda-linked groups that had seized the north of the country.
The French-led operation has forced the extremists from the cities they had seized for 10 months in the chaotic aftermath of Mali's military coup in March 2012.
But French and African forces have faced continuing suicide blasts and guerrilla attacks in reclaimed territory.
On March 21, a suicide bomber blew up a car near the Timbuktu airport, launching an overnight assault on the city.
The blast killed one Malian soldier. Around 10 Islamist fighters were killed in the ensuing fighting with French and Malian forces, a French army spokesman said.
The attack was claimed by the Movement for Oneness and Jihad in West Africa (MUJAO), one of three Islamist groups that had seized the north.
MUJAO said it had "opened a new front in Timbuktu", which had not come under attack since French-led forces entered the city on January 28 -- unlike Gao, which has been hit by a string of suicide bombings and guerrilla attacks.
A landmine blast killed two Malian soldiers near Gao on Saturday.
AFP
Sun Mar 31 2013
Impact of cloud complexity on cybersecurity risk and AI's role in this mix
Organizations who are adopting multi-cloud or hybrid cloud environments are having to navigate new complexities that emerge as they expand on cloud. As these cloud environments lead to the expansion of attack surfaces, a global survey conducted by Gigamon found that 93% of IT and security leaders predict cloud security attacks will increase this year.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi Bursa Malaysia setakat 16 Julai 2024
Jumlah dagangan meningkat kepada 5.36 bilion unit bernilai RM3.95 bilion daripada 4.58 bilion unit bernilai RM3.72 bilion pada Jumaat.
[Data & Statistik] Kedudukan MYR berbanding SGD setakat 16 Julai 2024
Niaga AWANI bawakan prestasi terkini prestasi MYR berbanding SGD.
[Data & Statistik] Prestasi ringgit setakat 16 Julai 2024
Ketua Ahli Ekonomi Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd Dr Mohd Afzanizam Abdul Rashid berkata walaupun ringgit merosot, kontrak niaga hadapan Dana Fed menunjukkan bahawa penurunan kadar faedah mungkin akan berlaku pada September depan.
![Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/41721096727_RoyalOmanPolice.jpg)
Sekurang-kurangnya 4 maut, insiden tembakan di masjid di Oman
Beberapa orang turut cedera akibat terkena tembakan di sekitar masjid di Wadi al-Kabir, Muscat.
![Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2022-03/61647267418_Reconstructionofth.jpg)
Penjara menanti pesalah MH17 jika keluar dari Rusia - Pendakwa raya
Menurut Digna van Boetzelaer, kerajaan Belanda tidak pernah meminta ekstradisi mereka kerana Rusia tidak mengekstradisi rakyatnya sendiri.
E-invois dibimbangi tekan pengusaha PKS
Isu yang timbul ialah pengetahuan dan kos tinggi yang diperlukan untuk melaksanakannya, termasuk kos latihan dan penambahbaikan sistem dan perisian.
Tawaran pengambilalihan MAHB dimuktamad suku ketiga 2024 - MOF
Tawaran pengambilalihan Malaysia Airports Holdings Bhd (MAHB) dijangka akan dimuktamadkan pada suku ketiga tahun ini dan ia perlu dipersetujui oleh sekurang-kurangnya 90 peratus pemegang saham sedia ada MAHB.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
Kementerian Kewangan berkata memandangkan tawaran itu merupakan satu urusan transaksi komersial, maka ia tidak mendatangkan sebarang implikasi kewangan kepada kerajaan.
![[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi [KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi](https://resizer-awani.eco.astro.com.my/tr:w-177,h-100,q-100,f-auto/https://img.astroawani.com/2024-07/61721096314_MohdSaidBaniCM.jpg)
[KOLUMNIS] Masa depan industri perhubungan awam: Memperkukuh kepercayaan, keterlibatan melalui integriti, inovasi
Dengan sokongan tiga pertubuhan utama, ekosistem ini hadapi cabaran signifikan, namun berpotensi besar untuk berkembang dan berinovasi.
Jiwa SME: Kejayaan lebih 30 tahun dalam industri penternakan kambing
Osman Goat Farm, yang dimiliki oleh Osman Cheya Kutty dari Johor Bahru, telah bertahan lebih dari tiga dekad dalam industri penternakan. Dengan dedikasi dan inovasi, Osman Goat Farm telah membuktikan bahawa kesungguhan dan strategi yang tepat adalah kunci kejayaan dalam industri penternakan. Produk berkualiti tinggi dan teknologi terkini terus menjadi asas kepada kejayaan.