Twin attacks on the army in central Mali overnight killed six soldiers while some 30 suspected jihadists were also left dead in response, the military said Sunday.
The attacks occurred near the border with Burkina Faso at army positions that have been targeted in the past, with a deadly Islamist offensive having begun in northern Mali in 2012 before spreading elsewhere.
"The provisional toll is six dead and 18 wounded" among the soldiers, the army said in a statement, adding that the attacks prompted a response which left "around 30 dead on the terrorist side."