At least 64 people, including 49 civilians, were killed in two different incidents as terrorists attacked an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger River in northern Mali on Thursday, media reports said.
The Islamist terror group members reportedly attacked an army camp in Bamba, a rural commune in the Gao Region of Mali, which killed 15 soldiers.
According to reports, 50 terrorists were also killed during the attack.
Terrorists also attacked a boat on River Niger in Timbuktu which left several civilians dead.
Extremist Islamist insurgent group JNIM, an umbrella coalition of armed groups aligned with al-Qaida, has claimed responsibility for the incident.
"In response to this double attack, a combined air-land action by our valiant FAMa made it possible to neutralize around 50 terrorists," the Malian government said in a statement.
"Immediate arrangements were made to evacuate all passengers and secure the places which are still the subject of sweeping and surveillance," read the statement.
A few hours after the attacks, Mali's interim president, Assimi Goita, declared a three-day national mourning starting Thursday, a report from Xinhua said.
Since 2012, Mali has been plagued by insurgencies, jihadist incursions, and inter-community violence that have killed thousands of people, while displacing hundreds of thousands.
