BAMAKO, Jan. 21 (Xinhua) -- A branch of Al-Qaeda in Mali has claimed responsibility for an attack that killed 10 Chadian UN peacekeepers.
The Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen group launched the attack to retaliate Chadian President Idriss Deby's resumption of diplomatic links with Israel, the group said in statement.
"This attack comes in response to the guidelines of the command of the organization of Al-Qaeda," said the statement.
The attack occurred Sunday morning in Aguelhok in Kidal region. Apart from the 10 peacekeepers killed, at least 25 others were injured.
The Security Council on Sunday condemned "in the strongest terms" the deadly attack on the UN base in Mali.
The council members called on the Malian government to swiftly investigate this attack and bring the perpetrators to justice.
They also expressed concern about the security situation in Mali and the transnational dimension of the terrorist threat in the Sahel region.
Mali is plagued by a civil war and the rise of Islamist militants. The United Nations set up a peacekeeping mission in Mali in April 2013 to help stabilize the situation in the country.
