Three killed in attack on U.N. base in north Mali

Two U.N. peacekeepers and a civilian were killed after unknown assailants fired rockets at a U.N. peacekeeping base in Kidal in northern Mali early on Saturday, a U.N. spokesman said.

"They fired rockets from around 4am inside the MINUSMA camp," said Olivier Salgado, Deputy Chief of Communication in the peacekeeping mission.

French troops and the U.N. force are struggling to stabilise the former French colony where terrorist groups attacked a hotel in the capital on Nov. 20 and killed 20 people.

Three militant groups - al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQMI), its splinter group al Mourabitoun and Massina Liberation Front (MLF) - claimed the attack on the Radisson Blu hotel. Security analysts say they could be collaborating.