In the third significant attack against the army in the past month, jihadist militants have conducted a string of coordinated raids on military installations in multiple towns in Mali.
Without mentioning whether there were any additional losses, Mali’s army claimed to have “neutralized” around 80 militants in the repulsion of Tuesday morning’s attacks.
But al-Qaeda-affiliated Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), which claimed responsibility for the attacks, claimed to have taken over three army barracks.
Mali has been plagued by a deadly Islamist insurgency and attacks from separatist movements for almost ten years.
Army spokesman Souleymane Dembele made the announcement on national television.
