At least 25 Malian soldiers were killed and several others were injured after a group of armed jihadis attacked a military base in northern town of Bamba. The terrorists appeared to have ridden into the military base for the predawn attack that has since become the mode of operation for the various organization present in Mali.
While no group is yet to claim responsibility for the attack, the area is marred by frequent attacks by organizations allied to both al Qaeda and ISIS. Most recently, intelligence reports had indicated a rare occurrence of cooperation between terror organization allied to Al Qaeda and ISIS unlike elsewhere in the world where the two groups fight for territory and dominance.
Mali has been struggling to contain a jihadist revolt that first broke out in the north in 2012, and has since spread to the centre of the country and neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger. Thousands of Malian soldiers and civilians have died, despite the presence of thousands of French and UN troops.
Recent reports have sited that the Malian government has been exploring numerous avenues to quash the conflict and bring peace to the country including entering into talks with jihadist groups. Al-Qaeda-affiliated jihadists have indicated that they are prepared to negotiate with the government, but only if French and UN troops pull out.
