Daesh fighters in Mali have killed dozens of soldiers in one of the deadliest offensives against the governmental forces in recent memory. The the sources report two figures: 49 and 53 men perished in the attack, and one civilian.

It is possible that the toll will be even higher, taken into consideration the wounded, who have injuries ‘incompatible with life’. One civilian has become a collateral victim in the attack on an isolated military base the government said.

The authorities first reported the attack in Indelimane, in Menaka region, on November 1, but the initial death toll was lower.

“Heavily armed unidentified men attacked around noon. The attack started with shellfire … Then they retreated toward Niger,” the government spokesperson Yaya Sangare said.

Spokesperson also explains the death toll was not final because the bodies were still being identified, and that the army has launched a combing operation on the ground with support from international forces, including French troops and UN peacekeepers.

The Islamic State (IS) group said via their site Amaq news claimed being behind the attack.

Mali has been tormented by radical Islamistes since 2012, when the militants took over the north. With the assistance of French military, Mali’s army has recovered the territories.

However, the djihâd groups there did not abandon the idea to establish Caliphate, and they continued to fight against the governmental forces.

In a separate incident on November 2, a French soldier was killed in Liptako in the same area. 

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Brigadier Ronan Pointeau died after his armoured vehicle was struck by a roadside bomb, the French government said in a statement. Brigadier is the equivalent of corporal.

It was earlier reported that 54 soldiers had died in the attack on the military post, based on a statement by Mali government spokesperson, Yaya Sangare.