TIMBUKTU, Mali

Local media are reporting that six civilians have been killed by an armed separatist group in Mali’s northern province of Kidal.

The assailants, suspected of being affiliated with the armed Ansar-ud Din insurgent group – an ally of al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb – attacked the town of Talahandaq late on Thursday.

The group released a statement saying the area had been hit by rocket attacks.

This latest incident comes two days after 10 extremists were killed by French forces in northern Mali.

After a French intervention in Mali in 2013, terrorist groups have been repositioning themselves in the north.

Despite the presence of French and UN peacekeeping forces, insurgents remain very active.