3 Bangladeshi peacekeepers injured in IED blast in Mali

Peacekeepers on duty. Representational image

Dhaka, May 29 -- Three Bangladeshi peacekeepers were injured in an Improvised Explosive Device (IED) blast in Mali on Sunday morning.

The blast took place on Sunday at around 9:30 am local time in Mali, when a motorcade of a patrol team under Bangladesh Formed Police Unit (BANFPU-2) reached the remote desert road along the mountains of Gundam-Tongka-Niaphungke Highway, some 15 km off from the Gundam Super Camp in Mali's Timbuktu Region, according to a press release issued from Police headquarters here on Monday evening.

The Armoured personnel Carrier (APC), which was carrying the policemen, was also damaged in the incident, says the press release.

The Police headquarters did not disclose identities of the three injured Bangladeshi police peacekeepers.

The patrol team was part of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

According to the press release, the peacekeepers on patrol duty spotted a suspicious hole in the middle of the road. The IED exploded as they maneuvered past the hole.

“Due to the intelligence of the police peacekeepers and the APCTs' capability to withstand the high-level explosions, they escaped from greater danger,” said the press release.

It is also to be noted that MINUSMA authorities have highly appreciated the members of BANFPU-2, MINUSMA, and Mali as they have performed their peacekeeping duties with utmost professionalism and vigilance.

IED blasts are common in this region of Mali.