Rebels attacked an army convoy in southern Senegal late Wednesday, killing two soldiers and injuring more than a dozen, military officials said Thursday, according to AP. Senegal's southern Casamance region has been the scene of low-level clashes between various rebel factions and with government forces for more than two decades. The region is cut off from much of the rest Senegal by Gambia and its residents have mounted secession campaigns over the years, although it has been relatively peaceful in recent years. The convoy of five military trucks was attacked as it traveled on a road between the towns of Bignona and Sindian _ about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of the regional capital of Ziguinchor, said regional commander Boubacar Sane. He said the attackers fled quickly, but that they could be identified as rebels because they were armed with Kalashnikov rifles. Two soldiers died from gunshot wounds, one at the scene and one later at the hospital, Sane said. Fourteen people were injured in all, some when one of the vehicles crashed during the incident, said Ziguinchor Police Commissioner Talla Diop. He said seven soldiers were seriously injured and had been taken to a hospital in the capital, Dakar.
