Mali Declares Period of National Mourning Following Deadliest Attacks by Islamist Militants

The army said an ambush Sunday left 42 soldiers dead in the northern region of Gao. According to a statement, adding jihadi extremists used drones, artillery and booby-trapped vehicles. On national television, the anchor gave more details: “Following the end of the fighting, the death toll is as follows: on the enemy’s side – thirty seven terrorists were neutralised, equipment was abandoned by the assailants s in the vicinity of Tessit, as well as two vehicles containing equipment and their occupants were destroyed by airstrikes in a forest locate five kilometers south of the locality. On the friendly side – fourty two dead and twnety wounded”, Ibrahim Traore read. In Mali’s South, another attack Sunday, claimed by Al-Qaida-linked group JNIM, killed five police officers. The country and its partners have been fighting off extremists for nearly a decade. Despite deliveries of military equipment, terrorits have heaped pressure on the Malian transitional authorities. Intensifying attacks ever since Mali’s European partners were asked to withdraw.

SOURCE: AFRICA NEWS