Mali: a jihadist attack targets the army in the "three borders" area

A Malian soldier in position in a street in Gao, February 10, 2013. (Illustrative image) AFP PHOTO / PASCAL GUYOT

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2 min

At least 30 Malian soldiers were killed two days ago in an ambush in the Gao region.

An attack attributed to jihadists against whom forces allied with the Malian army, in particular Barkhane, intervened.

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With our correspondent in Bamako

,

Serge Daniel 

The ambush that took place in the Gao region is attributed to "armed terrorist groups".

It is in Mali the official name of jihadist groups.

The latter were numerous, nearly a hundred men, who came by motorbike and in pick-up vehicles.

The peculiarity of this attack, according to a well-informed source, is the diversity of the weaponry used by the attackers.

According to two other witnesses interviewed by telephone, the jihadists probably developed their strategy over the weekend.

They knew that Monday, a succession of the Malian army was preparing to circulate on an axis a few tens of kilometers from the city of Ansongo.

First there was an ambush followed by an attack.

The enemy would then have managed to divide the convoy of the Malian army into two groups.

Two helicopters

from the French Barkhane force

supported the Malian Armed Forces.

And in addition to the Malian soldiers killed, there were wounded evacuated by planes of the UN mission in Mali to Gao, capital of the region.

According to the Malian army, the jihadists also suffered many losses.

And this Wednesday, the situation would be under control in this region which has a border with Niger.

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