8 soldiers killed, 57 terrorists neutralized in Mali

By Aurore Bonny

DOUALA, Cameroon (AA) - Eight Malian soldiers were killed and 57 terrorists neutralized following violent clashes in the Archam sector in west Tessit in Mali's Gao region, the army said late Friday.

Five soldiers are missing and 14 were wounded.

The Malian Armed Forces Air Force (FAMA) carried out airstrikes against motorcyclists to rescue a military patrol that was ambushed by unidentified gunmen, according to a statement from the Malian Armed Forces General Staff.

The soldiers were on an offensive recon operation and "completely destroyed a terrorist base," said Col. Souleymane Dembele, director of information and public relations for the army.

In four villages in Tessit, 40 civilians were killed between Feb. 13 - 15 by terrorists, according to media reports.

Elected official Souleymane Ag Mahmoud told reporters that the death toll is not definitive and the attackers belong to the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (GSIM).

Mali is one of the Sahel countries that has been frequently attacked by terrorism for several years.

The number of refugees in the central Sahel countries of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger now stands at 410,000.

The majority of refugees in the region have fled violence in Mali where a conflict began in January 2012, according to the United Nations refugee agency.

More than 400,000 people are internally displaced in Mali, an increase of 30% compared to 2021, according to a January 2020 report published by the UN.