3 UN peacekeepers injured in Mali landmine explosion

Three peacekeepers were injured when a convoy of the UN Mission for Mali (MINUSMA) stepped on a landmine along Teherdge-Timbuktu road in central Mali, a statement from the UN mission said Thursday.

The nationality and the extent of injuries were not mentioned in the statement.

A journalist based in Timbuktu told Xinhua it was Burkina Faso soldiers escorting the mission's police chief Abdounasir Awale to Ber town within Timbuktu region, for a meeting with representatives of the Coordination of Azawad Movements.

In the statement, MINUSMA strongly condemned the attack whose objective was to paralyze the mission's operations in this part of Mali.

The statement reiterated that MINUSMA, through the United Nations Mine Action Service, will continue with mine clearance operations in Mali's priority zones to provide maximum protection to the civilian population.