Dozens killed by alleged Militants says Mali military

• At least 17 soldiers and four civilians killed in Mali town of Tessit.
• At least two other jihadist attacks killed 12 civilians and five police officers.
• The Malian army says the death toll from the Tessit attack is provisional and likely to change.

At least 17 soldiers and four civilians were killed, with nine others missing, in an attack blamed on Islamists in Tessit, a town near the borders of Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger that is frequently the site of clashes and attacks.

At least two other jihadist attacks killed 12 civilians in central Mali on Saturday and five police officers in the south-west.

According to a Malian army statement released Monday, the death toll from the Tessit attack is still provisional and is likely to change.

The army said it killed seven people in Tessit believed to be members of the Islamic State in the Great Sahara, using drones and artillery to detonate explosives.

The Malian army also reported 22 casualties among its ranks, as well as significant damage to civilian homes, vehicles, and military installations.

Since 2012, Mali has been under attack by Islamist militants, who began in the north but have since spread to central and southern Mali, as well as neighbouring Burkina Faso and Niger.

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