At least 15 soldiers and three civilians killed after several coordinated armed attacks against military bases in Mali

July 27 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The Malian Army has denounced this Wednesday a series of coordinated attacks by unidentified armed persons against military bases that has resulted in the death of at least 15 Malian soldiers and three civilians.

“In Kalumba (near the border with Mauritania) the balance of the friendly side is 12 dead, including three civilians from a road construction company,” said Colonel Suleimán Dembélé, director of information and public relations of the Malian Army. it’s a statement.

Specifically, simultaneous attacks were recorded early this morning against Armed Forces posts in Kalumba, near Mourdiah, in the Nara region, and Sokolo, around Diabaly, in the Segou region.

In Sokolo, the Army has reported six dead soldiers and 25 wounded, five of them seriously, while stating that they have neutralized 48 attackers and three trucks 15 kilometers from the place, with approximately fifteen people and their equipment.

Likewise, it has indicated that there have also been “infiltration attempts in Mopti, located in the center of the country, which have not caused fatalities, since it has dissuaded the attackers, according to the same source.

The Armed Forces have previously highlighted in another statement that the military “have responded to all suspicious movements” and have pointed out that they will soon provide more information on these incidents.

The attacks have been perpetrated just a few days after the attack carried out on Friday against the main military base in Mali, located on the outskirts of the capital, Bamako, which left one dead and whose authorship was claimed by the Al Qaeda affiliate in the country, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (JNIM).

Mali, like other countries in the Sahel, has been registering in recent years a growing number of jihadist attacks carried out by both the Al Qaeda affiliate in the region and the Islamic State, which has also increased inter-community violence and caused the displacement of tens of thousands of people.