Gunfire echoed through the ancient city of Timbuktu on Monday as an army base came under a fierce assault by terrorists, according to local residents, military sources, and officials who spoke with AFP. The attack plunged the area into chaos, with the sound of heavy weapons rattling the dusty skyline. Mali, under military rule, has been mired in turmoil since 2012, a country battered by an unrelenting wave of terrorism.
Groups aligned with Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, along with armed criminal and ethnic militias, have turned vast swathes of the country into battlegrounds, fueling a crisis that shows little sign of abating.
“We are dealing with terrorists attacking Timbuktu. We are fighting back,” a military source said.
“The camp in the city centre has been attacked,” the source added.
A local official said: “The terrorists arrived today in Timbuktu with a vehicle packed with explosives. The vehicle exploded near the (military) camp. Shooting is currently continuing.”
UN staff were told in a message “to take shelter” and “stay away from windows” due to “shooting in the city of Timbuktu”.
A resident reported having heard “heavy gunfire in the city” which “seems to come from the side of the (military) camp”.
A local journalist speaking by telephone said “the city is under fire”.
“This morning our city was attacked by terrorist groups. Shots were heard near the military camp and the airport. We all returned home,” he said.
The ancient city of Timbuktu, once known as the “city of 333 saints” for the Muslim holy men buried there, was subject to major destruction while under the control of terrorists in 2012 and 2013.
