Mali attacks: Jihadist fighters launch coordinated raids on military posts

Tuesday's attack marks the third major assault on army positions over the past month.

Watch LiveBritish Broadcasting CorporationHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveHomeNewsIsrael-Gaza WarWar in UkraineUS & CanadaUKUK PoliticsEnglandN. IrelandN. Ireland PoliticsScotlandScotland PoliticsWalesWales PoliticsAfricaAsiaChinaIndiaAustraliaEuropeLatin AmericaMiddle EastIn PicturesBBC InDepthBBC VerifySportBusinessExecutive LoungeTechnology of BusinessFuture of BusinessInnovationTechnologyScience & HealthArtificial IntelligenceAI v the MindCultureFilm & TVMusicArt & DesignStyleBooksEntertainment NewsArtsArts in MotionTravelDestinationsAfricaAntarcticaAsiaAustralia and PacificCaribbean & BermudaCentral AmericaEuropeMiddle EastNorth AmericaSouth AmericaWorld’s TableCulture & ExperiencesAdventuresThe SpeciaListEarthNatural WondersWeather & ScienceClimate SolutionsSustainable BusinessGreen LivingAudioPodcastsRadioAudio FAQsVideoLiveLive NewsLive SportHomeNewsSportBusinessInnovationCultureArtsTravelEarthAudioVideoLiveWeatherNewslettersWatch LiveJihadist fighters stage series of attacks on Mali military posts6 hours agoShareSaveWedaeli ChibelushiBBC NewsShareSaveAFP via Getty ImagesMilitary bases have been attacked several times in the last month (file photo)Jihadist fighters have launched a series of simultaneous attacks on military posts across numerous towns in Mali - the third major assault on the army over the last month.

Mali's army said it repelled Tuesday morning's attacks, allegedly "neutralising" more than 80 militants, without saying if there were any other casualties.

However, Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimin (JNIM), an al-Qaeda-linked group who said it was behind the attacks, said it had taken control of three army barracks.

For more than a decade Mali has been wracked by a deadly Islamist insurgency, as well as attacks from separatist movements.

In a statement broadcast on national TV, army spokesperson Souleymane Dembele said: "The enemy suffered significant losses in every location where they engaged with the security and defence forces."