Terrorist Attack on Military Post Kills More Than 50 Malian Soldiers

By Staff, Agencies

At least 53 soldiers lost their lives in an attack on a military post in northeast Mali, according to the country's Communication Minister Yaya Sangare.

The assault is one of the deadliest strikes against Mali's military.

A civilian was also killed at the outpost in Indelimane, in the Menaka region, close to the border with Niger, Sangare said on Twitter.

"The situation is under control. A search and the process of identifying the bodies is continuing," he added, after giving the latest update on the death toll.

He said 10 survivors were found at the outpost, which suffered "significant" damage.

No further details of the attack were given.

The Malian government earlier condemned the terrorist attack, saying it had left numerous dead or wounded but without giving a precise toll.

"Reinforcements have been dispatched to secure the area and hunt down the attackers," the statement added.

No group immediately claimed responsibility for Friday's assault.

It comes a month after two terrorist assaults killed 40 soldiers near the border with Burkina Faso, however several sources said the death toll had been down played.