4 Bangladeshi peacekeepers killed in Mali blast

Four Bangladeshi UN peacekeepers were killed and four others injured in a mine explosion near Douentza in the Mopti region of Mali, said Inter Service Public Relations.

The troops were driving on a road linking the towns of Boni and Douentza in the region where six Malian soldiers were killed in a similar incident a day earlier, the West African nation's UN mission said.

The dead are Warrant Officer Abul Kalam; Lance Corporal Aktar; Sainik Rayhan and Sainik (cook) Jamal.

The injured are Corporal Rasel; Sainik Akram; Sainik Newton and Sainik Rashed.

Rezaul Karim, assistant director of ISPR, in an SMS said the injured are currently undergoing treatment.

According to the ISPR, other Bangladeshi peacekeepers in Mali are safe.

Bangladesh is the second largest troop contributor to the mission in Mali, according to the UN Peacekeeping website.

Until December 2017, Bangladesh had 1,398 troops serving in Mali.

In September 2017, three Bangladeshi peacekeepers were killed and four others injured in an explosion during a clash with criminals in Mali.

Earlier in 2015, a Bangladeshi peacekeeper was killed and another sustained bullet injuries in the nation's capital Bamako.

The United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) in a statement said they were reinforcing their security presence, in cooperation with the country's army as well as regional and international forces, in central Mali, which has seen a surge in violence.

“These acts demonstrate [the militants'] disarray and in no way affect MINUSMA's determination to carry out its mandate,” said Mahamat Saleh Annadif, head of MINUSMA.

MINUSMA was established by a UN Security Council resolution in 2013 to support political processes in the country and carry out a number of security-related tasks.

Source: thedailystar