About 24 Malian soldiers have been killed and another 29 have been injured in fighting with terrorists near the border with Niger, the Mali Actu news agency reported Wednesday, citing the country's military.
The agency cited the army's statement as saying that 17 terrorists have been killed, about 100 people have been detained, and around 70 motorcycles have been destroyed during the hostilities.
The Malian military had managed to get the upper hand in the fighting near the Malian town of Tabankor in the northeast of the country despite the losses, the report said.
Earlier, terrorist attacks in four locations in the north of the West African country, including one in the town of Menaka, which is surrounded by Daesh* jihadists were repelled by the Malian Armed Forces (FAMa), according to the military.
Mali has been embroiled in an armed conflict between government forces, separatist militants and Islamist groups since 2012. The United Nations estimates that around 8.8 million people in Mali are in need of humanitarian assistance.
In order to tackle jihadists, the UN launched its mission in the country, however, despite its 10-year deployment it was deemed ineffective by the Malian military government. The country's authorities requested the pullout of the mission.