2 attacks by Islamist insurgents in Mali leave 49 civilians and 15 soldiers dead, military says

Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — Two attacks by Islamist insurgents in the restive north of Mali have killed 49 civilians and 15 government soldiers. The provisional death toll given by the country’s military junta was read on state television. A passenger boat near the city of Timbuktu on the Niger river and a Malian military position in Bamba further downstream in the Gao region were targeted. The statement said the attacks have been claimed by Islamist extremist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida.