Gunmen free 21 prisoners

Unidentified gunmen freed 21 prisoners in the southern Mali town of Banamba late on Sunday in what Mali’s justice minister described as a “terrorist attack”. Mamadou Ismael Konate said on Monday the six attackers had wanted to release “two terrorists” but said they had already been moved to another town. Konate said one prison guard […]

Unidentified gunmen freed 21 prisoners in the southern Mali town of Banamba late on Sunday in what Mali’s justice minister described as a “terrorist attack”.
Mamadou Ismael Konate said on Monday the six attackers had wanted to release “two terrorists” but said they had already been moved to another town. Konate said one prison guard had gone missing after the raid but he provided no further details.
An army spokesman said the attack had occurred around 2100 GMT on Sunday.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack but Islamist groups such as Ansar Dine have stepped up their insurgency in Mali this year, carrying out more than 60 attacks on United Nations and other targets since May and spreading south into areas previously deemed safe.