Mali army says 8 soldiers killed, nearly 60 ‘terrorists neutralised’

An airstrike on a rebel base “neutralized” 57 “terrorists” in northern Mali, where eight soldiers were also killed in the fighting, the army said on Saturday.

Friday’s air force attack targeted a “terrorist base” and “violent clashes” resulted in the deaths of the soldiers, according to a statement.

The troops were attacked by “unidentified armed men” in the Archam region, near the border with Burkina Faso and Niger, the statement said.

Nearly 40 civilians were killed this week in this area where rival jihadist groups, including the so-called Islamic State, operate, locals told AFP.

Civilians were considered to be loyal to rival jihadist groups, according to local sources.

Mali is at the epicenter of a jihadist conflict across the Sahel, which has killed thousands of soldiers and civilians and displaced some two million people.

Rival jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda and the Islamic State not only carry out regular attacks against domestic and foreign troops, but also fight each other for territory.