Four UN peacekeepers killed in Mali attack

The United Nations mission in Mali says four of its peacekeepers have been killed by suspected jihadists in the north of the country.

It said several others were wounded when the insurgents attacked the camp run by Chadian peacekeepers in Aguelhok.

The peacekeepers "bravely pushed back" against a "complex attack carried out by several heavily-armed terrorists", the UN said, many of whom were killed.

In a separate attack also on Friday, two Malian soldiers were killed by suspected Islamist militants and six others injured in the central town of Diafarabé.

An eyewitness told local media he saw armed men approach the military base on motorbikes then heard gunfire.

Violent Islamist groups are active in Mali and across the Sahel.