France says several soldiers injured in attack in Mali

France says several French soldiers have been injured, including one seriously, in a mortar attack on a United Nations peacekeeping camp in Mali.
The French military said in a statement that Thursday’s attack occurred in Timbuktu near the site where a French unit is based.
About 1 600 French troops are deployed in Mali as part of the larger Barkhane operation led by France against Islamic extremists in the Sahel region.
They are cooperating with the UN mission known as MINUSMA.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility.
Islamic extremists seized control of Mali’s north in 2012. While they were forced out of strongholds a year later by a French-led military intervention, jihadists continue to attack Malian and French soldiers and UN peacekeepers.
The UN peacekeeping mission in Mali is the deadliest active mission in the world. Multiple extremist groups still carry out attacks throughout the vast region.