Islamist Militants Attack in Mali Leaves 11 Dead

An attack on a town in western Mali, near the Mauritania border, has left at least 11 dead. Malian officials have attributed the attack to Islamist militants. A Reuters report states that during the attack, which occurred before dawn on Saturday, three Malian army soldiers and eight attackers were killed. According to a senior Malian army official, the army's intelligence and eyewitnesses believe that this attack was orchestrated by Islamists primarily belonging to the 'Peul' ethnic group. This incident comes a week after Malian rebels led by the Tuareg signed a peace agreement with the government aimed at ending the uprising against sovereignty and focusing the army on fighting Islamist militants. Reuters reports that the attackers began firing around 5 a.m. in the town of Nara, 30 kilometers from the Mali-Mauritania border, and the gunfire continued for hours, but Malian security forces stationed in the town responded. According to an unnamed senior military official, army soldiers have been conducting house-to-house searches to clear the attackers. He emphasized that the attackers were members of the 'Peul' ethnic group who are linked to members of al-Qaeda in the Maghreb. The Malian government states that a relatively new military branch of the 'Peul' ethnic group, called the 'Mossi Liberation Front,' has been responsible for various attacks on the country's army forces. Recently, a police station near the Mali-Ivory Coast border was also attacked, which Malian officials attribute to Islamist militants. About two years ago, a military campaign led by France succeeded in liberating northern Mali from the control of al-Qaeda-linked Islamists.