BAMAKO: An army camp in the Malian city of Timbuktu on Monday was under attack by “terrorists” and heavy gunfire was heard, military and local officials and residents told AFP.
Junta-ruled Mali has been gripped since 2012 by violence from jihadist groups linked to Al-Qaeda and the Daesh group as well as community and criminal groups.
“We are dealing with terrorists attacking Timbuktu. We are fighting back,” a military source said.
“The camp in the city center 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 instructed 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 jihadists in 2012 and 2013.

BHUBANESWAR/DHAKA: At least 34 people have died in India’s northeastern region after heavy floods caused landslides over the last four days, authorities and media said on Monday, and the weather department predicted more heavy rain.

More than a thousand tourists trapped in the Himalayan state of Sikkim were being evacuated on Monday, a government statement said, and army rescue teams were pressed into service in Meghalaya state to rescue more than 500 people stranded in flooded areas.

In neighboring Bangladesh, at least four members of a family were killed in a landslide in the northeastern district of Sylhet, while hundreds of shelters have been opened across the hilly districts of Rangamati, Bandarban, and Khagrachhari on Sunday.

Authorities have warned of further landslides and flash floods, urging residents in vulnerable areas to remain alert.

India’s northeast and Bangladesh are prone to torrential rains that set off deadly landslides and flash floods, affecting millions of people every year.

Roads and houses in Assam’s Silchar city were flooded, visuals from news agency ANI showed, and fallen trees littered the roads.

“We are facing a lot of challenges. I have a child, their bed is submerged in water. What will we do in such a situation? We keep ourselves awake throughout the night,” Sonu Devi, a resident of Silchar, told ANI.