Nine United Nations peacekeepers were killed in an ambush in eastern Mali, a spokesman for the UN Mission in Mali\ (Minusma) said Friday, dpa reported. It is the largest number of UN peacekeepers to die in a single attack in the West African nation, which is recovering from a military coup and an insurgency. The soldiers, who are from Niger, were killed while on patrol near the town of Menaka. Last month, four UN peacekeepers died and 15 others were injured when their convoy drove over a landmine in northern Mali, between the towns of Kidal and Aguelhok. No group claimed responsibility for either attack.
