Mali: A car bomb explosion injures French forces

A car bomb exploded today, Monday, when a vehicle belonging to Operation Barkhane passed in Gosi, central Mali, causing injuries to French soldiers working in the Barkhane force in the coast.

In an e-mail sent to the press, the French General Staff said that a car bomb exploded in the morning in a vehicle of the Barkhane force, while it was carrying out a reconnaissance mission to ensure security in the vicinity of the advanced operational base in Gossi.

The General Staff added that two French soldiers were wounded in the suicide bomber’s car explosion, and were taken to the military hospital in the Gao region.

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Malian military official and a local representative, who declined to be identified, said that 3 French soldiers were wounded and taken by helicopter to Barkhane base in Gao.

This attack comes as France prepares to begin its gradual disengagement in the Sahel region, and the Barkhane force will be abolished to be replaced by a European special force “Takuba” focused on combating “terrorists”.

According to the project being studied by Paris, France intends to leave bases in northern Mali by the end of 2021 to concentrate its presence in Gao and Minka, closest to the “triangle border” region between Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, as well as in Niamey, the capital of Niger.