Hommam Al Nassim 
The Malian army announced the killing of five of its soldiers while repelling an attack carried out by militants linked to “Al-Qaeda” in the west of the country.
The army explained in a statement that the attack targeted a military site in the village of Mordia Gharbia, about 200 kilometers north of the capital, Bamako.
The statement stated that fighters from the “Supporting Islam and Muslims” group, which is linked to Al-Qaeda, carried out the attack using two suicide vehicles and fired shells at the military site.
The statement added that the Malian armed forces were able to repel the attack and inflicted “heavy losses in lives and property,” stressing that “a large number of terrorists were neutralized, and dozens wounded.”
This incident comes in the context of a series of attacks that Mali has been exposed to since 2012, as the country witnesses ongoing unrest and violence by various groups affiliated with “Al-Qaeda” and “ISIS”, in addition to rebel and separatist groups.
A number of Malian soldiers were killed last February in a major attack blamed on the same armed groups in the same region.
The Malian Foreign Minister announces his country’s desire to strengthen its military capabilities with Russia’s help