Extremists kill dozens of soldiers at a Mali military base, sources say

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Extremists have killed dozens of soldiers in an attack on a military base in Mali, civil society and military sources said Tuesday, in the latest militant violence in West Africa’s restive Sahel region.

The attack on Sunday on the base in Boulkessi, near the border with Burkina Faso, killed at least 60 soldiers and wounded 40 more, a civil society activist in the area told The Associated Press. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

The al-Qaida-linked JNIM group claimed responsibility.

A military source told the AP there were around 280 soldiers in the base, and “all of those who didn’t die were taken prisoner by the terrorists.” The source spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Mali’s army acknowledged the attack in a statement Monday, adding that soldiers had fought “to their last breath.” It did not provide an exact death toll.

Mali, along with neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger, has battled an insurgency by armed groups, including some allied with al-Qaida and the Islamic State group. Following military coups in all three nations in recent years, they have expelled French forces and turned to Russia’s mercenary units for security assistance.

In a separate attack on Monday, JNIM claimed responsibility for coordinated attacks on a military airport, a military base and army checkpoints in the northern town of Timbuktu.

Mali’s army said Monday on social media it repelled the attack and that 13 extremists had been killed. It did not say whether any soldiers were killed.

A hospital employee in the town said one soldier died of his wounds and 10 other people were wounded. The employee spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to reporters.

Timbuktu residents said they heard heavy gunfire and saw armed men enter the town on motorcycles. They spoke on condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisals.

Rida Lyammouri, a Sahel expert at the Morocco-based Policy Center for the New South, said the high level of coordination in the two attacks shows that JNIM had been planning them for a while.

Attacks by extremists have been on the rise in Mali and neighboring Burkina Faso in recent weeks. JNIM has established a strong presence in both.