text: BAMAKO, Mali – A Mali official says two soldiers have been killed and one wounded after their vehicle hit an improvised explosive device in the north.
  Col. Diarran Kone, spokesman for Mali's Defense Ministry, said the vehicle hit the land mine Wednesday morning while the soldiers were traveling between the towns Gossi and Hombori. He said fighters from al-Qaida in the Islamic Maghreb are present in the area.
  A Malian army post was attacked in April in the town Boni in the same zone. The extremist group Ansar Dine claimed responsibility for that attack.
  A French convoy struck a land mine in April while approaching the far-northern town of Tessalit, killing three French soldiers.
  A French-led operation pushed jihadis from power in the major towns of northern Mali in 2013, but attacks continue.