At Least 51 Killed in Mali Village Raids, District Official Says

At least 51 people were killed when Islamist militants raided three villages in central Mali near the border with Niger, a district administrator said on Monday.

The towns of Ouatagouna, Karou and Deouteguef were simultaneously attacked around 6 p.m. on Sunday, according to a note from the Asongo district administrator to the governor of Gao region. Houses were ransacked and burned to the ground and herds of livestock carried away, said the note, which was seen by Reuters. "Provisional toll is 51 killed, several other injured," it said.