16 moderate islamic preachers killed by Malian army

The Malian army has confirmed the deaths, the  bearded preachers  were apparently mistaken for islamist fighters from the North of Mali although they were unarmed. A report from Al Jazeera says that the army claimed the preachers vehicle failed to stop when ordered to do so. Another report by AFP says that they were stopped at the checkpoint and then led away and shot.

The incident will heighten tensions between islamist extremists and the Malian government and relations between Mauritania and Mali are likely to be adversely affected.