20120910
AP
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Sources report that 16 Mauritanian and Malian Islamic preachers were shot dead by the Malian army in Diabaly, 430 kilometers (267 miles) north of Bamako, when they were traveling to a conference in Bamako.

Mohamed Bashir, who said he had two cousins die in the shooting, said that 16 ministers — eight Malian and eight Mauritanian — of the peaceful Dawa sect were shot by the Malian army on Sept. 8 in the small village of Diabaly.

The killings were confirmed by a Malian police source, who remained anonymous. He said that outside the village "soldiers arrested the preachers and then led into the darkness away from the village before the shoot." Army spokesman would only say that the military is "just checking" on reports of the killings.