2 Malian soldiers killed, 3 wounded in southern Mali attack far from jihadists' home region

BAMAKO, Mali – A Malian military spokesman says two soldiers are dead and three others wounded after a military vehicle struck a roadside bomb in southern Mali.

Col. Souleymane Maiga said the attack took place Sunday in Mali's Segou region, far from the violence in the country's north that has been blamed on remnants of the jihadist groups that used to control that area.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility though suspicion fell on an armed group that is aligned with the Islamic militants from Timbuktu.

A French-led military offensive forced the jihadists from power in early 2013 though two years later violence has been mounting further south than ever.

Last month a masked gunman opened fire inside a popular bar and restaurant in the southern capital of Bamako, killing five people.