Fight Against Armed Groups In Mali To Continue Until Complete Neutralisation – President

MOSCOW, April 29 (Bernama-Sputnik/RIA Novosti) -- The Malian transitional president Assimi Goita said on Tuesday that the fight against armed groups that carried out a coordinated attack on Malian cities on Saturday would continue until the militants were completely neutralised, Sputnik/RIA Novosti reported.

"My dear fellow citizens, now more than ever, it is necessary to show confidence in our armed forces and security forces involved in the full-scale fight against terrorism. The operations will continue until the complete neutralisation of the armed groups that took part in the attacks and the lasting restoration of security throughout the country," the president told a press conference, broadcast by the ORTM TV channel.

On Apr 27, Mali's defence minister Sadio Camara died in hospital from injuries suffered in an attack on his home the previous morning, when a suicide attacker drove a car and detonated a vehicle-borne explosive device (VBIED) targeting the minister’s residence in Kati, a key military town near the capital Bamako. The attack also destroyed an adjacent mosque, killing several worshippers and neighbours.

-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK/RIA NOVOSTI