Gunfire and blasts rock Mali as attackers hit capital and other cities, residents say

BAMAKO, Mali — Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali's capital and other cities early Saturday in a possible coordinated assault, residents and authorities said

BAMAKO, Mali — Gunmen attacked several locations in Mali's capital and other cities early Saturday in a possible coordinated assault, residents and authorities said.

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Mali's army said in a statement that "unidentified armed terrorist groups targeted certain locations and barracks in the capital." It added that soldiers were "currently engaged in eliminating the attackers."

Mali has been plagued by insurgencies fought by affiliates of al-Qaida and the Islamic State group, as well as a separatist rebellion in the north.