Explosive detonates in Mali's capital, killing 2

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BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An explosive went off, apparently by accident, Friday in a house on the outskirts of Mali's capital, killing two people, an army spokesman said.

The explosive detonated while a man was handling it, said Commander Modibo Nama Traore. The man and a woman were killed. An Associated Press reporter saw another woman at the scene who was wounded, with bandages on her foot and head.

Malian and U.N. troops have surrounded the house, which is close to a mosque. Burn marks could be seen on its walls from afar.

This is the second violent incident in Bamako in recent weeks. In March, masked gunmen killed opened fire on a restaurant popular with foreigners, killing five people.

Officials had long feared an attack in the capital, which is in Mali's south. But most of the violence is concentrated in the north, which was overrun by Islamic militants following a 2012 coup.

French forces led a military operation in 2013 that largely expelled the al-Qaida-linked extremists, but clashes and attacks continue there. U.N. peacekeepers are trying to stabilize the north, but have often come under attack themselves.