15 Malian soldiers killed in suspected jihadist attack

An attack blamed on Al-Qaeda-linked jihadists in central Mali has killed at least 15 soldiers, three local officials told AFP, in the latest violence to hit the troubled region.
Mali has for more than a decade been ravaged by jihadists and other armed groups, with the center of the West African country becoming a hotbed of violence since 2015.
“At least 15 Malian soldiers were killed on Thursday in an ambush by jihadists from the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims,” an elected official from the central Mopti region told AFP, requesting anonymity due to security reasons. The source added that there were also “missing and wounded soldiers.” Another elected official confirmed the information, adding that the provisional toll included “14 members of the national guard and one gendarme.”