A three-day national mourning has been declared in Mali from this Thursday, following the latest death toll announced by the authorities of 42 soldiers who died in Tessit during an attack blamed on jihadists last Sunday.
The army said an ambush Sunday left 42 soldiers dead in the northern region of Gao.
According to a statement, adding jihadi extremists used drones, artillery and booby-trapped vehicles.
In Mali's South, another attack Sunday, claimed by Al-Qaida-linked group JNIM, killed five police officers.
The country and its partners have been fighting off extremists for nearly a decade.
Despite deliveries of military equipment, terrorits have heaped pressure on the Malian transitional authorities.
Intensifying attacks ever since Mali’s European partners were asked to withdraw.
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