11 Soldiers killed in attack on military base in Mali

Eleven soldiers have been killed and five wounded in an attack on a military base in Mali as rival armed groups surrounded the city of Timbuktu. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near the border with Burkina Faso on Sunday but armed groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates, have been increasingly active in […]

Eleven soldiers have been killed and five wounded in an attack on a military base in Mali as rival armed groups surrounded the city of Timbuktu.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack near the border with Burkina Faso on Sunday but armed groups, including al-Qaeda affiliates, have been increasingly active in recent months, attacking army posts beyond their usual strongholds in the north.

“The post was attacked between 4am and 5am in Boulikessi,” defence spokesman Abdoulaye Sidibe told the Reuters News Agency, adding that reinforcements had been sent to the area.

Armed group such as Ansar Dine have increased the frequency of their attacks over the past year.

In 2016, the group carried out scores of attacks, including on United Nations peacekeepers, while spreading into the south and other areas previously deemed secure.