Five Malian soldiers and one civilian were killed in central Mali yesterday during an ambush on a convoy of the president of the High Court of Justice. The defence ministry said in a statement that it was not clear who was responsible for the attack, but the high-level target and army deaths point to the deteriorating security situation in Mali due to the growing reach of jihadist groups that roam country's vast desert expanses. <br/><br/>The convoy of Abdrahamane Niang was travelling between the towns of Dia and Diafarab in the Mopti region, about 500 kilometres northeast of the capital Bamako when it was attacked. The rise of jihadist groups, some linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State continues to destabilize Mali, four years after French troops beat back an Islamist insurgency that began in 2012.