A Malian army spokesman says 10 civilians were killed and several others injured when their vehicle struck a landmine in northeast Mali.
The army spokesman says the incident occurred early Thursday in the same area where suspected Tuareg rebels kidnapped about 40 soldiers in two separate attacks earlier this week. The army says at least nine of those soldiers were released on Wednesday.
All of this week's incidents have occurred near Mali's border with Niger, where rebels from the ethnic Tuareg group launched an uprising in February.
The Niger rebels have denied having any link to the violence in Mail.