PARIS, July 2 (Xinhua) -- A car bomb attack targeting a joint patrol convoy of French and Malian troops in northern Malian town of Gao has killed civilians and injured soldiers from the French counterterrorism force, French Defense Minister Florence Parly said late Sunday.
"Terrorism has again hit Mali. Civilians lost their lives and French soldiers are wounded," Parly tweeted, without giving details.
According to media reports, a bomb-laden car exploded near armored infantry vehicles on patrol Sunday evening.
The reports said many civilians were feared dead while four French soldiers were injured. The soldiers were part of Operation Barkhane, an anti-insurgent operation in Africa's Sahel region.
France launched a military offensive in Mali in January 2013 to crack down on Islamist fighters who seized control of Mali's northern region a year earlier.
With the support of five African countries that were former French colonies -- Mali, Chad, Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso -- France has deployed around 4,500 troops in the Sahel region as part of Operation Barkhane to combat insurgents.
