Mali government says jihadi rebels kill 132 civilians

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Recent attacks by jihadi rebels in central Mali have killed 132 civilians, the government announced Monday. The killings happened when several villages in the Bankass area were attacked on Saturday and Sunday, the government said in a statement Monday.The government said the attacks were carried out by jihadi rebels of the Katiba group. The attacks had earlier been reported by Moulaye Guindo, the mayor of Bankass, the biggest town near the attacked villages. The attacks show that Islamic extremist violence is spreading from Mali’s north to more central areas like Bankass. For several weeks extremist rebels in central Mali have been blocking the road between the northern city of Gao and Mopti in central Mali.