By Tiemoko Diallo, BAMAKO Mali
Twenty-four Malian soldiers were killed and 29 wounded in
an attack on an army patrol in northern Mali on Monday in which 17 militants
were also killed, a spokesman for the army said.
The West
African country is still reeling from an attack on an army post that killed 54
in early November - one of the deadliest strikes against its military in recent
memory, which underscored the increasing reach and sophistication of armed
jihadist groups active in the wider region.
The Malian
patrol attacked on Monday was in Tabankort, Gao region, while on a joint
operation with Niger against militants operating near the border.
“During this
attack, Malian forces suffered 24 deaths, 29 wounded as well as equipment
damage. On the enemy’s side, 17 were killed and a certain number captured,”
army spokesman Diarran Kone said.
The
authorities have not named the assailants or identified which group they
belonged to. From strongholds in Mali, groups with al Qaeda and Islamic State
links have been able to fan out across the Sahel, destabilising parts of Niger
and Burkina Faso.
Violence has
surged this autumn with heavy military and civilian losses in Mali and Burkina
Faso. In addition to
November’s bloodshed in Mali, 38 Malian soldiers were killed on Sept. 30 in
coordinated attacks on two army bases in the centre of the country, which has
slipped from government control despite the presence of the French army and
other international forces.
Meanwhile 39
people were killed in Burkina Faso on Nov. 6 when militants attacked a convoy
carrying workers of Canadian gold mining company Semafo.
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