1st LD Writethru: UN chief slams deadly terrorist attack in Mali

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Saturday strongly condemned a deadly terrorist attack in Bamako, the capital of Mali, and called for "a swift investigation" to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.

"The secretary-general strongly condemns the deadly attack that took place earlier today in Bamako in which five persons were killed and seven injured, including two international experts working for the United Nations," said a statement issued here by Ban's spokesman.

Earlier on Saturday, the UN Security Council, in a press statement issued here, condemned "in the strongest terms" the attack in the Malian capital, and called on the government of Mali to conduct a swift probe in order to bring the perpetrators to justice.

The five killed included a French citizen and a Belgian security officer with the European Union delegation in the West African country, said the reports.

Ban expressed his sincere condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to the injured, the statement said.

"The secretary-general calls for a swift investigation and urges that those responsible for the attack be brought to justice," said the statement.

Meanwhile, the secretary-general expressed his appreciation for the prompt response by Malian law enforcement institutions and commended the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) for its support to ongoing investigation efforts.

Mali's desert north, where French forces wrested control of territory from separatist rebels and al Qaeda-linked fighters, is plagued by frequent political violence. However, this is the first militant attack for years in Bamako, in the south.

The armed group al-Mourabitoun had claimed responsibility for the deadly attack in Bamako, the reports said. Al-Mourabitoun was formed by veteran jihadist Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who is a target of French forces hunting down al-Qaeda-linked militants in the Sahel-Sahara region.

Mali descended into conflict after a coup in 2012, and has faced an insurgency led by Islamist militants.

French troops intervened to halt a subsequent advance by Islamist rebels but separatist violence has flared in recent months, despite the deployment of UN forces.

The MINUSMA has more than 8,000 military personnel and nearly 1,000 policemen. It was set up in April 2013 by the UN Security Council. Endi