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WORLD NEWS Monday 19 June 2017

Colombia: Bombing at mall kills 3, including French woman

By SERGIO LEON to fight terrorism success-
JOSHUA GOODMAN fully,” he said Sunday after
Associated Press a meeting with his top se-
BOGOTA, Colombia (AP) — curity aides. “You can be
Colombian President Juan sure we’re not going to let
Manuel Santos vowed to what we’ve achieved so
capture those responsible far be stopped by a hand-
for detonating a home- ful of extremist coward or
made bomb that killed people who don’t want to
three people, including a see reconciliation in Co-
French woman, in a busy lombia.”
shopping mall over the Of the nine mostly women
weekend and threatened who suffered injuries, only
to undermine years of se- one remained hospitalized,
curity gains. Santos said.
Santos offered a reward of The 25-year-old French
around $35,000 to anyone woman who died, Julie
with information about Sat- Huynh, had been in Bogota
urday’s attack at the up- since February volunteer-
scale Centro Andino in the ing at a school in a poor
heart of the city’s tourist neighborhood as part of a
district. The bomb, placed master’s program in inter-
behind a toilet in a sec- Firefighters stand outside the Centro Andino shopping center in Bogota, Colombia, Saturday, June national humanitarian aid.
ond-floor women’s bath- 17, 2017. A explosion rocked the mall, one of the busiest in Colombia’s capital, killing at least one She was preparing to return
room, went off as the mall woman and injuring 11 others according to authorities. to France in the coming
was filled with Father’s Day (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan) days with her mother, who
shoppers. targets in the capital. But In appealing for calm and have already resulted in a was with her in Bogota.
Much attention has fo- leaders of the group have unity, Santos touched on peace deal with the coun- In a cruel irony highlight-
cused on the National Lib- repudiated the bombing Colombia’s long history try’s main guerrilla move- ing how fragile Colombia’s
eration Army, the last major and Santos refused to feed of successfully combating ment, the Revolutionary peace remains, the French-
rebel movement still active speculation on the possible drug-fueled violence and Armed Forces of Colombia. backed charity where she
in Colombia, which has car- perpetrators to not inter- political extremism, saying “The Colombian people worked helps families dis-
ried a spate of recent at- fere in the investigation in the latest attack wouldn’t have the temperance, the placed by the country’s
tacks against mostly police its critical, early phase. derail peace efforts that resilience and the bravery long conflict.

Suspected jihadists attack resort outside Mali’s capital

By BABA AHMED ing from the camp and I It was not immediately region. Muslim holy month of Ra-
Associated Press saw people running out of clear what was burning, al- There was no immediate madan. In predominantly
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Sus- the site,” said Modibo Di- though jihadists have been claim of responsibility for Muslim Mali, people have
pected jihadists attacked arra, who lives nearby. “I known to light cars ablaze the attack, which comes been fasting from sunrise to
a hotel resort Sunday in Ma- learned that it was a terror- during other attacks in the amid the final week of the sundown for three weeks.
li’s capital, taking hostages ist attack.”
at a spot popular with for- Malian soldiers later suc-
eigners on the weekends. ceeded in entering the
The number of casualties resort area, according to
was unclear in the assault, Commandant Modibo
which continued into the Traore, a spokesman for
evening, authorities said. the Malian special forces in
Gunfire first rang out at the the former French colony.
Campement Kangaba “The operation is ongoing
on the outskirts of Bamako and we estimate that there
in the late afternoon, ac- are between three and
cording to a security of- four assailants,” he said.
ficial with the U.N. mission As night fell, witnesses
known as MINUSMA. The could see smoke rising from
official spoke on condi- the Campement Kang-
tion of anonymity because aba, which features three
he was not authorized to swimming pools and is a
speak to reporters. popular escape from the
“I heard gunfire com- Malian heat for the day.