Dhaka, Sep. 25 (PTI): Three Bangladeshi soldiers on a peacekeeping mission have been killed in a militant attack in strife-torn Mali, the country's military said here.
Four others, including a major, were injured yesterday when their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device, the Inter-Service Public Relations Directorate (ISPR), the Banladeshi military's media wing, said in a statement.
Those injured were being treated at a hospital in Gao city of Mali, BDnews24.com reported.
UN chief Antonio Guterres has condemned the attack.
The Secretary-General extended his condolences to the government of Bangladesh and to the bereaved families, and wished swift recovery to the injured, according to a statement issued by his spokesperson.
Guterres reaffirmed the UN's determination to support efforts aimed at restoring lasting peace and security in Mali and urged the government and the signatory armed groups to expedite the implementation of the peace agreement, it said.
The UN deployed peacekeepers in Mali, a landlocked country in West Africa, in 2013 after the Malian and French forces launched an operation in response to territorial gains by Islamist rebels.
According to the UN, 15,209 uniformed personnel are working in the Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).
The number of Bangladeshis working in the UN peacekeeping missions is 7,636.
Until August 31 this year, 129 Bangladeshis have lost their lives in UN peacekeeping missions, and six of those casualties have been in MINUSMA, the report said.
