In this July 26, 2013 photo, a United Nations peacekeeper from Senegal patrols outside the mayor's office in Kidal, Mali. A bomb explosion killed several members of the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Mali in the troubled northern city of Kidal, a spokesman for the mission said Saturday, Dec. 14, 2013. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)
December 14, 2013 - 12:56 AM
DAKAR, Senegal — A spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali confirmed that "several" peacekeepers were killed when a bomb went off in the troubled northern city of Kidal.
Fred Fath, the spokesman for the mission, told the AP: "There was an explosion this morning and the info I have is that there were several dead and wounded among the blue helmets."
The car packed with explosives detonated Saturday in front of a bank guarded by the UN. The explosion was so great it blew open the doors of houses in the area.
Kidal, located some 1600 kilometres (1000 miles) northeast of Mali's capital, is where an ethnic Tuareg rebellion began in late 2011.
News from © The Associated Press, 2013