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Six troopers have been killed and 20 injured in simultaneous assaults focusing on three military bases in central Mali Sunday, the military mentioned.
Targets in Sevare, Niono and Bapho have been all hit by "armed terrorist groups (who) used suicide vehicles packed with explosives", the Malian military mentioned in an announcement.
A gaggle linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa claimed the assaults, in accordance with audio despatched to AFP Sunday from a supply near the suspected attackers.
The group, Katiba of Macina, belongs to the Group to Assist Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the most important jihadist community within the Sahel.
"On Sunday morning, the mujahideen of the Katiba of Macina struck three camps of the (Malian armed forces)," a member of the group instructed AFP in an audio message.
The supply mentioned Bapho and Niono have been hit, according to info from Mali's military.
It additionally mentioned Segou was attacked, which was not among the many targets talked about by the Malian military.
"We hit these camps at the same time within five minutes of each other. (Apart from the) deaths, we caused material damage to them," the audio recording mentioned.
Navy sources earlier instructed AFP the assaults occurred at 0500 GMT in Sevare, Niono and Bapho, all within the centre of the nation.
In Sevare, "there was a double terrorist attack with shots fired and machinery exploded," one of many sources mentioned.
"The army retaliated. We are not able to provide a toll at the moment," the supply added.
"We have asked MINUSMA (the UN Mission in Mali), as part of our collaboration, to send a rapid intervention force near the Sevare camp to help secure it," the supply continued.
A separate navy supply inside MINUSMA confirmed the knowledge.
One of many poorest nations on this planet, Mali is scuffling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has claimed hundreds of lives and pushed a whole lot of hundreds from their houses.
Public anger at elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to roll again the insurgency supplied the spark for a navy takeover in August 2020.
(AFP)
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