Two Malian soldiers were killed early Sunday in northern Mali in an attack on their post blamed on jihadists, the army announced on social networks.
The Niafunke post was attacked at around 2:00 a.m. (0200 GMT) by an “armed terrorist group,” the army said, using a term commonly used to describe jihadists.
“The toll is two dead on the FAMa (Malian Armed Forces) side and five dead on the assailant side,” it added.
These are the first casualties announced by the Malian army in its ranks for some time.
Meanwhile, the Malian army has claimed responsibility for the deaths of dozens of jihadists and the destruction of several of their bases since launching an operation called Kèlètigui in December. These statements describe the jihadists as “increasingly on the run,” seeking “evasion” with Malian forces.
The jihadists have caused the death of hundreds of national security forces in Mali and in neighboring Burkina Faso and Niger since 2012, and have expanded their operations to include these countries.