Timbuktu Siege: Death Toll Rises as Jihadist Blockade Tightens

Two people have been killed and five others injured in a mortar attack on the historic city of Timbuktu in northern Mali. The military blamed "terrorists" for the shelling, which comes amid a surge in militant attacks in the region. Timbuktu has been under siege by jihadists, leading to food shortages, and the UN peacekeeping force is pulling out at the request of the military government. The city's inhabitants have also faced shortages of food, petrol, and medicine. In addition to the attack on Timbuktu, the army foiled an attack in Léré town, killing five militants. Ethnic Tuareg rebels have raided military camps and oppose the army taking control of bases vacated by departing UN troops. The Islamist insurgents have spread from northern Mali to neighboring Niger and Burkina Faso.