The Malian army has issued an update on the terror attack near the town of Tessit.
The military said ISIS affiliate Islamic State in the Greater Sahara (ISGS) carried out the incursion.
The terrorists killed four civilians, and 17 Malian soldiers, destroyed vehicles and equipment; nine soldiers are missing.
“On 07 August 2022 around 15h00, the army units of Tessit… responded vigorously to a complex and coordinated attack by armed terrorist groups, presumably from ISGS,” the army said.
The statement added that at least seven terrorists were killed in the battle which left 22 injured.
Tessit is close to Mali’s border with Niger and Burkina Faso; the ISGS and other armed groups routinely attack the three countries.
Mali has been unstable in the last decade with three military takeovers since 2012.
Colonel Assimi Goïta was installed as transitional president in May 2021 after he led mutineers to oust ex-President Ibrahim Keita.