Battle for Mali base has killed dozens of militants, army says

Mali's authorities stated their soldiers killed dozens of militant Islamists as they repelled an attack on a military base on Sunday. Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), a jihadist group, claimed responsibility for the assault where its fighters took control of the base in the town of San. The army disputed ceding control but said its soldiers had to "retreat temporarily." Lt Col El Oumrani, commander of the 23rd regiment in the San garrison, said in a video, "The enemy was eliminated and the attack was successfully repelled. Around 40 terrorists were eliminated." He insisted his soldiers had "not gone anywhere" and the base remained under army control, stating, "The camp of the 23rd is not empty, it is under the custody of the army."

The attack started at around 05:00 local time (GMT) on Sunday and lasted for about two hours, according to witnesses quoted by RFI. Witnesses reported attackers came on motorcycles and on foot, some disguised in army uniforms to infiltrate the base. One witness said militants entered the camp and held it "for a long time before leaving." At least 10 soldiers were killed in the fighting and the assailants briefly took over the camp, the AFP news agency quoted security and local sources.