Islamic Extremists Desecrate Saint's Timbuktu Tomb

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Members of al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb have desecrated a saint's tomb in the fabled city of Timbuktu, an official said on Saturday.

"Members of AQIM, supported by (the armed Islamist group) Ansar Dine, have destroyed the tomb of Saint Sidi (Mahmoud Ben) Amar. They set fire to the tomb," the official told Agence France Presse on condition of anonymity, adding that they had pledged to destroy others too.

Mali's transitional government expressed outrage over the desecration of the tomb, calling it "an unspeakable act".

The Malian government has "learned with indignation of the desecration of a tomb perpetrated by lawless individuals with no faith", and "condemns in the strongest terms this unspeakable act", according to a statement read out on national television.

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