Al Qaeda Network Rebels Attack Mali Military Base, Dozens Of Soldiers Killed

ILLUSTRATION/PBB Mission in Mali/PHOTO Ministry of Defense, Netherlands via Wikimedia Commons

JAKARTA - An active Al Qaeda-affiliated rebel group in the Sahel region of West Africa claimed responsibility for an attack on a military base in Mali on Sunday that killed 30 soldiers.

More than 400 soldiers have been reported killed by rebels since early May in bases and cities in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, an unstable and prone region of the coup.

The jihad group, Jama'a Nusrat ul-Islam wa al-Muslimin (JNIM) claims to have seized a base in Boulkessi in central Mali, near the border with Burkina Faso.

Regarding this condition, the Mali military admitted that they were forced to resign.

"Many people fought, some until the end of their lives, to defend the country of Mali," the statement said, without specifying the number of victims.

A spokesman did not respond to questions about the number of casualties, but two security sources said more than 30 soldiers were killed.

A city source in Mondoro, near the base, said rebels were "cleaning up camps" and many were killed.

Videos circulating showed dozens of rebels storming the base.

Seen in the militant video stepping on the bodies of soldiers falling between sandbags. Reuters could not immediately confirm the authenticity of the video.