Authorities confirmed on Thursday that at least five people were killed and several others wounded in a deadly attack on a Malian army post in the southeastern village of Mahou. The attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents targeting the country’s military.
According to defense and local sources, the attack began in the morning hours and involved dozens of armed assailants on motorcycles. Witnesses described the scene as “horrific” and reports suggested more than 50 assailants were involved.
According to a local security official, security forces, supported by ground and air reinforcements, were able to repel the attack and regain control of the area. “We are saddened by the loss of five of our men and the injuries of approximately 10 people,” the official said, adding that a military vehicle was also set on fire during the incident.
The army’s general staff issued a statement condemning what it described as a “resurgence of cowardly and barbaric attacks” targeting civilians and military bases across the country, although it did not directly refer to the Mahou attack. The statement attributed the violence to a coalition of armed terrorist groups allegedly supported by both domestic and foreign forces.
The Mahou attack follows a series of deadly incidents in recent days. Earlier this week, rebels targeted an army base and airport in Timbuktu, northern Mali, where the army claimed to have “neutralized” a dozen attackers. A day earlier, a separate attack killed at least 30 soldiers at the Boulkessi army base near the border with Burkina Faso.