Roadside bombs kills 5 UN peacekeepers in Mali

A roadside bomb in northern Mali has killed five UN peacekeepers and wounded several others, a spokesman said of the latest in a string of deadly attacks on the force.
A car carrying Chadian troops hit the explosive north of Aguel'hoc, which is near the embattled city of Kidal, said Olivier Salgado yesterday.
Earlier this month, four UN peacekeepers were killed and several were wounded when their convoy hit a mine in the same region. Another mine killed a peacekeeper earlier this week. There was no immediate claim of responsibility and Salgado did not speculate on who was responsible for the bomb. Previous land mines have been blamed on Islamic extremists linked to al-Qaida, and they have taken responsibility for some.

Northern Mali fell under control of Tuareg separatists and then al-Qaida-linked Islamic extremists following a military coup in 2012. A French-led intervention last year scattered the extremists, but some remain active in the countryside and there have been continued bursts of violence.
UN troops are now trying to stabilize the north, and peace talks have begun between the Malian government and Tuaregs, who maintain a heavy presence in Kidal and have resisted the authority of the Bamako-based government. Al-Qaida is not participating in those discussions.