Shots fired at German army patrol in Mali, no injuries

Unknown attackers fired on a Germany army patrol operating as part of a UN peacekeeping mission in Gao in northern Mali, a Defence Ministry spokesman said in Berlin on Tuesday, reported dpa.

No German soldiers were injured in the attack, which was mounted from a distance of around 150 metres. Two bullet holes were found in the patrol vehicle, which returned to base immediately after the attack, the spokesman said.

The German military has more than 1,100 troops stationed at Gao in the West African country as part of the MINUSMA peacekeeping mission. The government plans to end the deployment and withdraw troops from the country by May next year.

The German government has clashed repeatedly with the military junta that rules Mali and which is seen as pro-Russian. The Malian authorities have repeatedly refused to clear flights for German military planes and reconnaissance drones.