UNITED NATIONS, Jan. 25 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday condemned an attack on a convoy of the UN peacekeeping force in Mali that killed two soldiers from Sri Lanka.

Guterres expressed his deep condolences to the government of Sri Lanka and the families of the victims and wished a speedy recovery to those injured, said Farhan Haq, his deputy spokesman, in a statement.

Six peacekeepers were injured in the improvised explosive device (IED) attack near Douentza in Mopti region on Friday.

The secretary-general called on the Malian authorities to spare no effort in identifying the perpetrators of the attack so that they can be brought to justice as swiftly as possible, said the statement.

Guterres recalled that attacks targeting UN peacekeepers may constitute war crimes under international law.

These cowardly acts will not deter the peacekeeping mission's determination to support the people and government of Mali in their pursuit of peace and stability, said the statement.

In a separate IED attack in the same area on Thursday, a peacekeeper from Burkina Faso was injured.

Mali is plagued by a civil war and the rise of Islamist militants. The United Nations set up a peacekeeping mission in Mali in April 2013 to help stabilize the situation in the country. Enditem

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