3 rockets land outside Timbuktu in northern Mali amid talks between armed groups, government

BAMAKO, Mali – A spokesman for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Mali says three explosions have gone off outside the northern town of Timbuktu.

Olivier Salgado, of the U.N. mission known as MINUSMA, said Monday that the explosions went off just south of the town's airport late Sunday just before midnight.

Col. Keba Sangare, commander of the Malian military in the region of Timbuktu, said an investigation was under way to determine who was behind the attack. Residents in the area said the three explosions were caused by rockets.

The attack comes amid meetings between various armed groups in northern Mali and the Malian government.

While a French-led military invasion last year ousted radical jihadists from power in northern Mali, remnants of the group continue to stage attacks.