Six UN Peacekeepers Killed in N. Mali Attack

FILE - A vehicle with United Nations peacekeepers is seen in Kidal, Mali.

A statement by the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali - MINUSA - says convoy was attacked Thursday morning in an area about 45 kilometers southwest of the city of Timbuktu

Six United Nations peacekeepers were killed, and five wounded, in an attack in Mali's restive northern desert.

A statement by the U.N. peacekeeping force in Mali - MINUSA - says the convoy was attacked Thursday morning in an area about 45 kilometers southwest of the city of Timbuktu.

The force says the wounded are being evacuated and reinforcements, including helicopters, are being sent to the site.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Violence has continued in northern Mali despite a French-led military campaign started in early 2013 that liberated northern Mali from al-Qaida-linked Islamist rebels. They had seized control of the area after a Tuareg uprising led to a military coup that plunged Mali into chaos.

A cease-fire deal was signed between the Mali government, its allies and northern separatist groups last year, but violations of the agreement have continued.