At least 19 soldiers killed after attack on military camp in Mali

The Sokolo army campin central Mali came under attack early on Sunday, according to the country's military. The operation, which left at least 19 servicemen and five others dead, has been claimed by Al-Qaeda affiliate Nusrat al-Islam (JNIM), a group active in the Maghreb and West Africa regions. It remains unclear whether the perpetrators sustained any casualties.

The attackers reportedly took the servicemen by surprise, breaching the base's cordon on motorbikes then gunning down their victims. Footage released by pro-jihadist outlets shows a cache of small arms, several pickup trucks and other equipment purportedly seized by the attackers. Malian military acknowledged the loss of equipment but did not provide any detail on the scale of losses.

The incident comes just two weeks after a major attack on an army base in Niger, which occurred close to the border with Mali. Almost 90 soldiers were killed in the carnage of that operation.