Mali
Still more losses for Malian security forces. Four soldiers were killed on Saturday in an attack in Menaka, north of the country.
The attack took place early morning at around 5 am local time, when armed men stormed the military base according to an official of the Malian army, who also reported losses on the side of the heavily armed assailants.
The assailants have retreated north of the city after the attack, and are being pursued by the Malian army according to sources.
According to a local official, “suspicious movements” of armed men were reported in the outskirts of Menaka on the eve of the attack. He says that the assailants took advantage of the complicity of locals in the Gao region which has been a constant target of terrorist attacks since the beginning of the Malian crisis in 2012.
The last attack which dates back to January 18, left 77 people dead. It was claimed by a terror group led by Mokhtar Belmokhtar, who’s linked to Al-Qaeda in the Maghreb.
