BAMAKO, Feb. 8 (Xinhua) -- Dozens of civilians were killed in a terrorist attack by the Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) on Friday near Kobe, northern Mali, media reports said.
More than 200 members of the ISGS attacked a civilian convoy escorted by the Malian Armed Forces, causing 45 to 60 deaths and injuring several dozens. The injured and lifeless bodies were transported to a hospital in a nearby city, the reports said.
The convoy attacked by the terrorists consisted of 22 minibuses, six large buses and eight trucks, several of which were looted and set on fire.
Malian authorities have not yet officially commented on the attack.
Since 2012, Mali has been grappling with a deep and multifaceted crisis caused by separatist insurgencies, jihadist incursions and intercommunal violence, which have killed thousands of people and displaced hundreds of thousands. ■
