Mali's ruling junta confirm jihadi attack

Mali's ruling junta confirmed Friday's jihadi attack against the country's largest military base, Kati.

A statement released by the authorities adds the attack was repelled resulting in seven dead amongst the attackers and eight arrests.

" We got one! With his weapons", claims Mankan Kone, a Kai resident. 

Another Kati resident, Cheikh Coulibaly, describes two of the detainees. 

"There are two suspects in the pick-up (truck), one of them had a gun with magazines and the second had other people's ID cards on him", he said. 

Friday’s attack on the Kati barracks follows a coordinated series of insurgent attacks on Thursday.

Jihadi rebels linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group have been gaining ground in their decade-long insurgency.

The attacks have mostly been in northern Mali but recently the extremists have moved into the centre of the country. Information suggests that this month they've moved closer to the capital, Bamako.