14 Malian soldiers killed by explosives in multiple attacks

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — The Malian army says 14 soldiers have been killed and nearly a dozen wounded in coordinated attacks by Islamic extremists. The director of public relations for the army in a statement Wednesday that multiple improvised explosive devices detonated between Dia and Diafarabe villages as well as Koumara and Macina towns in central Mali. The West African nation has been riddled with violence linked to al-Qaida and the Islamic State group for a decade that has killed thousands. Mali’s ruling junta, which seized power in a coup in 2020 and again the following year, has been struggling to beat back the jihadis, especially since French troops pulled out of the country in August amid frayed relations with the junta.