Chinese UN peacekeeper killed in Mali attack by al-Qaeda branch
Foreign ministry calls for an investigation into the incident and to bring perpetrators to justice
A Chinese UN peacekeeper was killed and four others injured in a Wednesday morning attack in northern Mali claimed by al-Qaeda’s North African branch.
Analysts said more casualties among Chinese troops may be unavoidable as Beijing’s contribution to peacekeeping grows.
Foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said the incident was a terrorist attack aimed at UN peacekeepers, and demanded an investigation to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“It is a grave and intolerable crime. China strongly condemns it,” Hua said.
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US-based monitoring group SITE said al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) reported that its al-Mourabitoun battalion engaged in a clash with “Crusader occupation forces”, referring to the UN mission in Mali. AQIM said its fighters were “thrashing” the enemy.
Chinese soldiers are part of a United Nations peacekeeping mission that has been stationed in northern Mali for three years since separatists joined jihadists to seize the region from the government in Bamako. The peacekeepers were hit by rockets or mortars fired at their site in Gao. Four people were killed and more than a dozen wounded.