Mali prison raid frees at least 47 inmates

Bamako : Suspected jihadists stormed a prison in central Mali and freed at least 47 inmates including a jihadist fighter, injuring two guards during the assault, security sources said Tuesday. 

"The suspected jihadists attacked a prison with heavy weapons on Monday night in the town of Niono, in the centre of Mali, where they freed around 50 inmates and injured two guards," said an official in the town around 350 kilometres (220 miles) north east of the capital Bamako.

"(The attackers) seriously injured two members of the national guard before freeing at least 47prisoners, one of whom was a jihadist fighter." 

The details were also confirmed by two police sources in the region.

"Some of the jihadists wore military uniforms, others traditional robes. They shouted 'Allahu Akbar' (God is Greatest). They were very well informed. They knew exactly where to find their fellow fighter who was arrested recently," said one of the police sources.        

Reinforcements deployed "to secure the town" arrived Tuesday, the source  added.

The attackers were seen close to the prison three weeks earlier, an elected local official said without giving further details.   

The incident comes little more than a month after a similar operation at a prison in Banamba, central Mali, in which some 20 prisoners were freed and a bank and police station were attacked.

Mali regained control of its northern cities from jihadists after a French-led international military intervention in January 2013, but insurgents remain active across large parts of the region.