Five Malian soldiers have been killed by suspected Islamist militants on Tuesday in the northern city of Timbuktu, BBC Afrique reports.
According to an official statement, the soldiers were killed in a raid carried out at dawn on a camp in the remote Gourma Rharous area about 120 km (75m) from Timbuktu.
Officials have blamed the deadly attack on what they describe as “a terrorist group”.
Ten of the attackers have reportedly been killed by French soldiers while they tried to retreat after the raid.
French soldiers are part of a multi-national force combating Islamist militancy in the region.
Northern Mali had been taken over in 2012 by Islamist groups, which briefly imposed Sharia law before they were driven out by foreign troops led by the French army.
