Follow Us on Google
(dpa/NAN)
No fewer than 24 soldiers were killed on Tuesday by armed attackers in Mali’s central area near Segou, the Defence Ministry said.
‘Terrorists were behind the attack,’ the ministry said.
The deaths followed deadly clashes on Sunday that led to deaths on both sides, including 24 soldiers, while three were confirmed missing.
Meanwhile, the circumstances behind the attack were initially unclear.
Several armed groups are active in Mali and other countries in the Sahel region, with some having sworn allegiance to the Islamic State or al-Qaeda terrorist groups.
The groups are mainly active in northern Mali, but attacks are also increasingly occurring in the central area of the country.
Mali is the site of what is currently considered the world’s most dangerous UN peacekeeping mission.
UN troops began operating in Mali after the country’s north temporarily fell into the hands of Islamist and other rebel groups in 2012 until French troops intervened.
