Bamako: The Malian Army has shot dead sixteen Mauritanian and Malian Islamic preachers in Diabaly, 430 kilometres, north of Bamako, when they were travelling to a conference in Bamako, sources said.
Mohamed Bashir, who said he had two cousins die in the shooting, said that 16 ministers, eight Malian and eight Mauritanian, of the peaceful Dawa sect were shot by the Malian Army on September 8 in the small village of Diabaly.
The killings were confirmed by a Malian police source, who remained anonymous.
He said that outside the village "soldiers arrested the preachers and then led into the darkness away from the village before the shoot."
Army spokesman would only say that the military is "just checking" on reports of the killings.
PTI
First Published: Monday, September 10, 2012, 00:57