LAGOS, Nigeria: At least 25 gold miners were killed and 13 injured when their vehicles were ambushed by terrorists near Mali’s northeastern city of Gao, the army said late Saturday night.
At least 19 terrorists were killed when the army launched retaliatory attacks, according to a statement issued by the General Staff of the Malian Armed Forces.
The heinous incident occurred on Friday afternoon when a convoy of vehicles carrying gold miners working for a foreign company in military escort was ambushed by a group of terrorists between Gao and Ansongo, near Kobe, approximately 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Gao.
“Terrorists deliberately targeted civilian passengers fleeing in panic. Despite the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) prompt response, three civilian vehicles were hit, killing 25 civilians and injuring 13 others, the majority of whom were young gold miners working for a foreign firm on their way to the N’Tahaka gold mine in the Gao region,” it read.
The statement did not name the terrorist group responsible, but both ISIS (Daesh) and al-Qaeda-linked militants have previously carried out attacks in the region.
Over the years, there have been deadly attacks in Gao, prompting the military to arrange daily escorts for civilians.
In recent years, violence in the region has killed thousands of people and displaced millions in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.
Meanwhile, the military has assured civilians that security operations, particularly along the RN-17 axis with civilian vehicle escorts, will proceed.
“The goal is to dismantle terrorist networks that hinder the free movement of people and finance terrorism through ransom payments,” the statement said.
