Aljazeera
Fifteen soldiers and six civilians have been killed in attacks in Mali and Burkina Faso, neighbouring West African countries that are struggling against armed groups.
Vehicles packed with explosives were driven into three military camps in central Mali before dawn on Sunday, the military said in a statement. Six soldiers were killed and 15 wounded at the Sevare camp, and five were wounded at two other locations.
Across the border in northern Burkina Faso, simultaneous attacks early Sunday on military detachments in Gaskinde and Pobe-Mengao killed nine soldiers and six civilians, including two who were members of an armed self-defence group, the military said in a statement.
About 30 soldiers were also wounded in the three attacks in Mali that were claimed by Katiba Macina, a group linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa.
Katiba Macina is part of the Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims, an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance operating in the Sahel.
“On Sunday morning, the mujahideen of the Katiba Macina struck three camps of the (Malian armed forces),” a member of the group said in an audio message sent to AFP.
“We hit these camps at the same time within five minutes of each other. [Apart from the] deaths, we caused material damage to them,” the audio recording said.
Military sources said 11 attackers were killed during the raid on the Sevare military camp, where two AK-47 assault rifles, mobile phones and other military equipment was recovered from the deceased…
