Several dead in a terrorist attack in Mali

According to local and military sources, several customs agents and civilians were murdered in an attack on a checkpoint in southeastern Mali on Saturday.

According to an AFP report citing a military source, seven people were killed as jihadist fighters stormed the checkpoint in Koutiala, including civilians and customs agents. However, a local elected official said that five individuals were killed in the attack. Neither source said how many civilians and customs personnel were engaged.

Mali has been ravaged by a jihadist insurgency headed by al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State group since 2012. The violence began in the north and quickly extended throughout the country, even to Burkina Faso and Niger. There was also a lot of intercommunal and criminal violence.