20 Mali soldiers killed in militant attack

BAMAKO Some 20 Malian soldiers were killed in an apparent militants’ attack Monday, local politicians and a military official said, in the latest bout of violence in the war-torn West African state. Militants attacked a military base in the northern town of Bamba early on Monday morning, according to a local government official, who called the assailants ‘terrorists’ and said at least 20 soldiers had died.Another local official gave a similar account, but suggested the death toll was likely higher than 20, while a leading army official also confirmed an attack had taken place, with losses on both sides.—APP