Fourteen Malian soldiers were killed and 11 wounded in two separate attacks in central Mali after their vehicles struck explosive devices, the army has said.
The incidents occurred on Tuesday in central regions where al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) affiliates regularly target civilians, Malian army, United Nations peacekeepers, and other international forces.
The army stated in a statement on Wednesday that reinforcements sent in response to the new strikes resulted in the deaths of 31 insurgents.
The report could not be independently confirmed by Reuters, and no group has yet claimed credit for the attacks.
Since 2012, when armed gangs hijacked a Tuareg separatist movement in the north, Mali has been ravaged by violence. Despite an expensive international military response, the crisis has since extended to other countries in West Africa’s Sahel area.
In 2022, French troops completed their withdrawal from Mali, after ties between the two countries deteriorated as a result of two coups and the perceived ineffectiveness of foreign military forces in combating rebel activity.
Following the purported entrance of Wagner Group operatives from Russia to boost government forces, tensions between the UN mission and Mali’s military leadership have risen.
Germany, which has had a presence in Mali since 2013 as part of the MINUSMA operation in the north, has stated that it will remove its troops in May 2024.
aljazeera
