The Malian military in a statement said that Islamist militants killed 15 soldiers and three civilians during two separate attacks in the southwest p Two Mali Attacksart of the country.
Militants attacked a military camp in Sokolo, a rural commune in the south-central Segou region, more than 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of the capital Bamako, resulting in the deaths of fifty-four including six soldiers. Twenty-five others were wounded in the assault.
The media unit for al-Qaeda’s local affiliate, Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM), said in a statement that its Katiba Macina branch had carried out the attack, according to a translation by SITE. The attack was allegedly carried out in response to Malian troop co-ordinating with Russian forces to flush out terrorists.
Nine soldiers and three civilians were killed during an early morning attack on a different camp in the southwestern town of Kalumba, the army said, according to media agency Reuters.
The militants assaulted another military base in the central town of Mopti during the night, but were pushed back without the loss of personnel or casualties.
All the attacks were repelled by the government forces who succeeded in killing 48 militants in Sonkolo.
“The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) repelled terrorist attacks targeting positions in Savare, Sokolo and Kalumba early this Wednesday, July 27. The response, carried out with energy and professionalism, has enabled the attackers to be routed and pursued,” Colonel Souleymane Dembele, the army’s director of information and public relations, said in a statement.
“The aerial pursuit made it possible to attack terrorist logistical bases under cover of vegetation in the vicinity, thus reducing the enemy’s potential,” Dembele added.
According to Reuters, militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State have repeatedly raided bases across Mali during a decade-long insurgency concentrated in the country’s north and centre.
In recent times, militants have gained territory despite the presence of UN Peacekeepers and Russian troops on the ground in Mali.
