Eight Malian soldiers were killed in an attack on a gendarmerie post at the edge of the central town of Bandiagara, in an area where jihadist groups are rampant, security and local sources said Friday. Nine soldiers were also wounded, five of them seriously, in the attack Thursday night, a military source said. A local official said there was a long exchange of fire with a large number of jihadists. sd-kt/siu/txw/ri