Mopti,
MALI
Five Malian soldiers were
killed when militants armed with rocket launchers attacked a checkpoint in a
central region of the conflict-torn nation, a military source and local
official said Monday.
"At least five soldiers were killed on Sunday
in Mondoro during a jihadist attack," said a source from the Mali army base
in Mopti, the largest town in the region, adding that the assailants had also
"suffered losses".
A local official said the militants had launched
the assault "using rocket launchers fired at parked military
vehicles".
The official said the Malian air force then
bombed jihadist positions,
adding that the clashes lasted for an hour.
"I don't know the number of jihadists killed
but there are victims," the official said.
A local association on Monday expressed concern
over the possible withdrawal of troops from Mondoro, where one soldier was
killed and three others wounded on February 14.
The camps at Mondoro and Boulkessi, near the border
with Burkina Faso, were targeted in twin attacks in September that left at
least 40 soldiers dead.
"According to information received, the
soldiers are threatening to leave Mondoro... if they execute this decision, the
terrorists will take control not only of Mondoro but the entire area of
Douentza," said Oumar Ongoiba, an official with the Association for the
Development of Mondoro, underscoring the strategic importance of the zone.
The September attacks on Mondoro and Boulkessi were
claimed by the GSIM, the main jihadist alliance in the Sahel region affiliated
to Al-Qaeda, with which Malian President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita hopes to
negotiate. - AFP
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