At least three peacekeepers and a Malian soldier were killed in an attack in northeast Mali, the UN's MINUSMA mission to the country said on Friday.

"This morning, a detachment of the MINUSMA force repelled an attack during a coordinated operation with FAMAS (Malian armed forces) in the Menaka region," a UN statement said, giving an initial toll of four dead and saying several other peacekeepers had been wounded, some critically.