ISLAMABAD: At least 10 soldiers were killed Sunday in an attack on an army base in central Mali claimed by the JNIM jihadist group, security and local sources said.

The camp, in the village of San, was "temporarily occupied by the attackers", a security source told AFP, reporting a provisional toll of "around 10 soldiers killed".

Local residents described violent clashes in the early hours of the morning.

"I can confirm that it was a terrorist attack. We heard loud explosions and continuous exchanges of fire," said a resident of San, declining to be identified. He added that "calm has returned".

The Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which is affiliated with Al-Qaeda, claimed responsibility, saying in a statement it had taken "taken full control of a Malian army barracks in the town of San, in the Segou region, this morning".

Mali's military said its troops conducted a "vigorous riposte" and had the situation now "under control."

Mali has been gripped by a profound security crisis since 2012, with frequent attacks by groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda and Daesh, as well as by local criminal groups and Tuareg independence movements.

Since two successive coups in 2020 and 2021, the country has been ruled by the military, which came to power on the promise of restoring security, so far without success.

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