In a statement, the Malian army said “a suspicious vehicle did not heed an order by the Malian armed forces to comply with their instruction”.
The military said the incident happened in an environment marked by kamikaze attacks, and government troops unwilling to take chances opened fire on the vehicle.
Mayor Hamad Ahmed who was in the vehicle was killed while three other people who were with him were injured, the statement said.
“A probe is on to shed light on the circumstances attending to the incident” the army statement concluded.