More than 50 killed in convoy ambush in Mali, sources say

More than 50 radical were killed adjacent Mali's northeastern metropolis of Gao connected Friday aft equipped assailants ambushed their convoy and its service escort, a section authoritative and residents said.

The attackers struck adjacent the colony of Kobe, astir 30 kilometers from Gao successful a portion wherever affiliates of Islamic State and al-Qaida person been progressive for implicit a decade, destabilizing Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger.

"People jumped retired of vehicles to flee. There were galore dormant and wounded civilians," the section authoritative said connected Saturday, speaking connected information of anonymity owed to information concerns.

Up to 56 bodies were recorded astatine the infirmary successful Gao, the authoritative said, adding that determination besides was an chartless fig of subject casualties.

The Malian service did not instantly respond to a petition for comment.

A Gao nonmigratory besides said astir 50 were killed and vehicles torched. Deadly attacks person go truthful predominant that the subject organizes near-daily escorts, the nonmigratory said.

The insurgencies took basal successful Mali's arid northbound pursuing a Tuareg separatist rebellion successful 2012. The Islamist militants person since dispersed to different countries successful the impoverished cardinal Sahel portion southbound of the Sahara.

The attacks person killed thousands of radical and contributed to a humanitarian situation with upwards of 3.2 cardinal radical displaced arsenic of January, according to the International Organization for Migration.