Mali troops and suspected Russian fighters accused of massacre

Harrowing accounts are emerging of Malian troops and suspected Russian mercenaries allegedly executing about 300 people in central Mali.

Residents told Human Rights Watch (HRW) that the killings took place during an operation against militant Islamists over four days in late March.

Detained men were ordered to walk in groups of up to 10, before being summarily executed, HRW said.

Mali’s military admitted on Saturday that it had killed more than 200 militants in a “large-scale” assault on the “terrorist fief” of Moura.