Sunday, February 10, 2013

Malian Troops Target of Second Bomb Attack

Malian troops target of 2nd suicide bomb attack

Explosion took place in same place in city of Gao as earlier blast

The Associated Press Posted: Feb 10, 2013

A suicide bomber has blown himself up at a checkpoint manned by the Malian army, the second such incident in the northern city of Gao in two days, residents and a military official said.

Capt. Daouda Diarra said the most recent attack occurred Saturday around 11 p.m. Diarra said the bomber set off the explosive belt he was wearing, killing himself and injuring a Malian soldier.

The explosion occurred in the same place in Gao where a suicide bomber killed himself on Friday morning.

A column of French tanks stood guard at the spot Sunday morning, preventing journalists and spectators from getting close to the site.

The attacks raise concerns about the future strategy of the country's Islamist militants, who initially appeared to put up little resistance to the French and Malian military advance.

Fears of suicide bombing attacks have been high since the discovery of industrial-strength explosives in Gao last week.

The radical fighters seized control of northern Mali in April 2012 after a military coup in the capital, Bamako.

France intervened in its former colony on Jan. 11, after the militants began pushing south, raising alarm that they were inching closer toward the capital.

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