Official: Suicide bombing at market in north Mali kills at least 3 Chadians, injures civilians

BAMAKO, Mali – A local official says that a suicide bombing by members of an al-Qaida branch in North Africa has killed at least three Chadians in northern Mali.

Kidal's deputy mayor, Abda Ag Kazina, said Friday that two suicide bombers were also killed in the operation.

Lalla Maiga, a humanitarian worker in Kidal, says that the Chad soldiers were targeted in a market where one suicide bomber exploded his belt. Maiga said that many civilians were also injured in the attack.

This is the third suicide bombing attack in Kidal since the French forces entered Mali to fight al-Qaida-linked militants. Chad soldiers are helping back French troops in the mountains of the north Kidal region where elements of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb are now hiding out.