Mali’s army said in a statement it had killed “several hundred” assailants and repelled the assault, which hit multiple sites in or near the capital, Bamako. It said a large-scale sweep operation was underway in Bamako, the nearby barracks town of Kati and elsewhere in the gold-producing country.
It was unclear how many soldiers or civilians were killed in the attacks. In a statement read out on state television on Saturday evening, the government Spokesperson, Issa Ousmane Coulibaly, said 16 people had been injured.
Coulibaly said the situation was completely under control in all affected areas. Bamako authorities announced an overnight curfew lasting three days.
Al Qaeda-linked Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin issued a statement, published by SITE Intelligence Group, claiming responsibility for attacks in Kati, at the Bamako airport and in localities further north, including Mopti, Sevare and Gao.
–Reuters–
