More than 70 people, including over 50 Malian soldiers, have been killed in an ambush by terrorists and Tuareg separatists in northern Mali, according to officials.
The attack took place on Saturday as an Army convoy departed the strategic town of Anefis after weeks of intense fighting for control of the area. Earlier in July, the FLA Tuareg separatists and an Al Qaeda-linked terrorist group briefly seized the town and surrounded a military base used by Malian forces and Russian Africa Corps paramilitaries.
A local official described the attack as the deadliest suffered by the Malian army in years, with a provisional toll of more than 50 soldiers killed and at least 24 captured. A military source also said some soldiers were executed, adding that investigations were underway to determine how the troops became so vulnerable.
Officials said Russian paramilitaries had already reached Gao before the ambush and suffered no casualties. The Malian army confirmed on Saturday that its convoy had fallen into an ambush by terrorist armed groups but did not release casualty figures.