Mali war: Drone attack kills at least 21 civilians, group says [Video]

BAMAKO, Mali –

Airstrikes on a village in northern Mali near the Algerian border Sunday killed 21 civilians, including 11 children, a spokesman for a coalition of Tuareg-majority pro-independence groups said.

If confirmed, the attack on the village of Tinzaouatine would mark the largest number of civilians killed by drones since the breakdown of a peace agreement between the country’s ruling military junta and armed pro-independence groups in northern Mali last year.

The Strategic Framework for the Defense of the People of Azawad is a coalition of Tuareg-majority groups fighting for the independence of northern Mali, which they call Azawad.

The strikes Sunday targeted a pharmacy, then other strikes followed that targeted people gathering in the vicinity of the initial damage, the coalition said in a statement.

“The provisional toll of these criminal strikes stands at 21 civilians killed, including 11 children and the pharmacy manager, dozens wounded and enormous material damage,” said …