Six soldiers killed in attacks in central Mali

Six soldiers were killed in almost simultaneous attacks in central Mali, the army said on Sunday.

Eleven terrorists were also killed in the attacks early Sunday in Niono and Bapho, as well as the Sevare camp, the Directorate of Information and Public Relations of the Armed Forces (DIPRA) said in a statement.

At least a dozen others were wounded in the attacks, the statement said.

"The armed terrorist groups used packed suicide vehicles," the DIPRA said.

According to military sources, it was heavy fire from the sentry that blew up the car bomb, preventing it from entering the camp.

"These are the elements of the sentry who gave their lives in Sevare in order to limit the human toll and the material damage," an officer in Mopti, who requested anonymity, told Xinhua.

Mali has been facing security, political and economic crises since 2012, with insurgencies, jihadist incursions and inter-community violence killing thousands and displacing hundreds of thousands of others in the West African country. (ANI/Xinhua)

( With inputs from ANI )