A top Malian official has said the country would continue supporting the French military presence in the West African nation amid threats of attacks against the troops engaged in anti-terror operations.
In a statement Friday, the head of the country’s National Transition Council Malick Diaw vowed to provide support to all the partners who work alongside Mali in the fight against terrorism. […]
Following days of rumors and conflicting reports that the strike targeted local civilians, France confirmed on Jan. 7 that fighter planes dropped bombs on a gathering of at least 40 members of armed terror groups. Defense Minister Florence Parly reiterated that the strike ”eliminated several dozen” militants.”There was neither a marriage, nor women nor children. It was men, exclusively,” she told France Inter radio station. ”You can say lots of things […] These are facts, exact, proven, cross-checked, certified.”
However, local groups like Tabital Pulaaku Mali Youth, a local Fulani tribal association, provided the names of 19 civilians allegedly killed in the strike, as well as seven more who had been injured, maintaining that they had been attending a wedding and demanding an independent investigation by international agencies into the operation.
Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF), also known as Doctors Without Borders, operating in Mali were verified to be treating injured civilians. Läs artikel