11 Malian soldiers killed in ambush – Army

Eleven Malian soldiers were killed and 14 others injured on Monday in an ambush near Tassit, in Mali’s northern region of Gao, the Malian Armed Forces confirmed on its website on Wednesday.

More than one hundred men of “armed terrorist groups” on pickups and motocycles ambushed a team of Malian soldiers in Tassit, a town located in the region of Gao, killing 11 Malian soldiers, the Malian army said in a statement.

The army added that 14 soldiers were injured, with 8 in critical condition, together with 11 others reported missing.

According to Malian military, all the injured have been evacuated and taken to hospital by UN’s peacekeeping mission MINUSMA for medical care.

The army said the French counter-terrorism force Barkhane also deployed two helicopters to support Malian Armed Forces in its sweeping operation.

Following a military coup in 2012, insurgents have been roaming northern Mali.

Armed attacks have recently extended to central Mali, regardless of the presence of the French military and United Nations peacekeepers in this West African country.