Several Malian soldiers died on Wednesday in a large-scale attack by suspected jihadists on a military outpost in the remote west of the landlocked West African nation.
“More than 100 jihadists attacked an army position at Kwala,” said an elected representative of the nearby town of Mourdiah, 300 kilometers (180 miles) north of the capital Bamako.
“Several soldiers were killed, the jihadists took over the place before leaving without a problem,” he said, asking to remain anonymous.
A local political official confirmed to AFP the same version of events, adding that the army “camp was first hit with a car bomb.”
A second elected official said there had been a lot of gunfire, and government troops returned to the base after the jihadists left.
The army reported the assault in a statement, making no mention of casualties in its ranks and claiming to have “found and destroyed” a large number of “terrorists.”
AFP was unable to verify the claims from the various sources in the remote zone.
Mali’s military junta pushed out a French anti-jihadist force in 2022 amid deteriorating relations following military coups in 2020 and 2021.
Mali has since pivoted towards Russia, both politically and militarily.