Malian troopers killed in ambush

Six Malian troopers had been killed and 9 wounded earlier this week in an ambush on a Malian military detachment close to Bamako within the west of the nation, AFP realized Wednesday from police sources and an area elected official.

The troopers had been ambushed on Monday on this space close to the city of Badala, close to Kita, some 130 km from the capital, the police supply informed AFP with out specifying the character of the assault and the identification of the assailants.

The loss of life toll of six troopers and 9 wounded was confirmed to AFP by an area politician who stated the assault was carried out by “terrorists”, a time period utilized in Mali to designate jihadists.

The assault had not been claimed on Wednesday night.

The troopers’ response left “a number of lifeless” among the many attackers, the identical police supply added, with out giving additional particulars.

Mali has been plagued since 2012 by the unfold of jihadism and a deep multidimensional political, financial and humanitarian disaster.

The colonels who got here to energy in a putsch in 2020 and had been consolidated by a second coup in 2021 have damaged with the previous French ally and its companions, and have turned militarily and politically to the Russians.

In the meantime, not less than two Russian troopers and a civilian had been killed Tuesday night time by an unintended grenade explosion in a bar in central Mali the place they had been ingesting, native sources stated.

On Tuesday night time, “there was an accident on the Tam-Tam bar in Segou. A Russian teacher mishandled a grenade and there was an explosion. Two Russians had been killed. There was additionally a lifeless civilian,” a police official within the metropolis informed AFP.

The data was confirmed by an area elected official. He stated two Malian troopers had been additionally lifeless.

“Some troopers got here into the bar. They ordered alcohol. Additionally they had some of their pockets. We heard noise in the direction of the Malian and Russian troopers. There have been not less than three lifeless, together with two Russians. A civilian additionally died,” stated one witness.