3 more UN peacekeepers killed in Mali

Authorities say three United Nations peacekeepers and a Malian soldier are dead after an attack by suspected jihadists in northern Mali.

The UN mission known as MINUSMA confirmed Friday that several others were critically wounded in Menaka near the border with Niger.

The statement says some of the assailants were killed during the fighting with UN and Malian forces.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility, though ISIS in the Sahel group is active in the region.

The extremist group is believed to be behind an ambush on U.S. forces and their local counterparts in Niger that left four Americans dead last month.

Last month, three UNsoldiers were killed and two others wounded by an explosive device as they were escorting a convoy in northern Mali on Thursday bringing the death toll of members of the UN mission since 2013 over 80.