17 killed in 2 terrorist attacks in Mali

A total of 17 people were killed and two others injured in two terrorist attacks over the weekend in central Mali, local authorities said Monday, reported Xinhua.

The first attack took place on Saturday in Bodio village in Bandiagara region, leaving 15 people dead and two injured, according to a statement of the Bandiagara governorate. And two people were killed in another attack on Sunday at a mine between Bodio village and Anakanda village.

"Operations are underway to track down the perpetrators of this despicable act which will in no way discourage us from our eternal fight for the preservation of our country," the statement said.

The attacks occured one day after the handover of the Ogossagou camp, a military base in Bandiagara, to the Malian government from the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali. The United States Security Council on June 30 unanimously approved the complete withdrawal of UN peacekeeping forces in Mali in the next six months, at the request of the Malian authorities.