PARIS, Sept. 30 (UPI) -- Attacks near a historic mosque in Timbuktu, Mali, will do little to discourage the work needed to restore the cultural icon, UNESCO said.
The U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization said the Djingareyber mosque in Timbuktu, a World Heritage site, was heavily damaged in a suicide bombing Saturday. Two Malian civilians were killed and several members of the national military were injured in the blast.
"UNESCO is more determined than ever to pursue its efforts to rehabilitate the cultural heritage of Mali and the protection of ancient manuscripts," UNESCO Director-General Irina Bokova said in a statement Sunday.
The Malian government is working to unify a country divided when al-Qaida and nomadic rebels took control over northern territory following a coup in 2012.
Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita, elected in August, said Friday at the United Nations he was reaching out to northern communities to invite them to an "inclusive dialogue" on reconciliation.
Al-Qaida last year razed historic religious sites in Timbuktu because they weren't in line with the group's views on Islam.
