Soldier blamed for latest Malian attacks

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BAMAKO, Mali, Sept. 10 (UPI) -- A lone military gunman was arrested in connection with the killing of 16 Muslim preachers at a checkpoint in Mali, a military spokesman said.

Clerics from Mali and nearby Mauritania were killed at a checkpoint about 250 miles north of Bamako as they made their way south. Military spokesman Idrissa Traore told Voice of America the incident was the result of a single gunman.

"It's not the Malian army," he told Voice of America. "It was one soldier. He was captured and the investigation continues."

A separate military source, however, told al-Jazeera that armed Islamists refused to stop at the checkpoint. The Arab broadcaster reports two groups of militants were said to be planning to take over a nearby military post.

Interim President Dioncounda Traore last week requested military assistance from the Economic Community of West African States. Mali was split when rebel forces, some of which aligned with al-Qaida, claimed control over the north of the country following a coup early this year.

The military spokesman told VOA the latest incident shouldn't undermine efforts to regain control over the north of the country, however.