At least 10 Malian soldiers were killed on Sunday in an attack by suspected jihadists, according to a security source.

The attack took place at 5 a.m. local time (0500 UTC) at a military camp in Guire in the Nara Cercle region, roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of Bamako.

"The terrorists came out of the forest. They were on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. They burnt vehicles and took away others," the source said.

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The Mali armed forces confirmed the attack via Twitter, and said reinforcements had been dispatched.

The military "were taken by surprise" by heavy gunfire in the attack, said a local resident. "I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in an army vehicle and drive off with it," he said.

Read more: Mali prime minister resigns after Ogossagou massacre

A day earlier, a UN peacekeeper had been killed and four others wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy was passing through central Mali.

The attack comes in the wake of consultations by President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita to pick a new prime minister. Earlier this week, the country's former prime minister Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga and his entire cabinet resigned following the killing of 160 people in Ogossagou.

German Bundeswehr troops are stationed in the northeastern city of Gao as part of the United Nations' MINUSMA peacekeeping force.

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Every day, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. Sign up for the newsletter here.</s>At least 10 Malian soldiers died Sunday in an attack by suspected jihadists in the centre of the African country, a security source told AFP.

“There are at least 10 dead soldiers,” the Malian source said. “Yes, our camp at Guire was attacked on Sunday about five in the morning.”

“The terrorists came out of the forest. They were on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. They burnt vehicles and took away others,” said the source, who asked not to be named.

The Mali armed forces confirmed the attack on Twitter and said reinforcements were being sent to the Nara sector, about 370 kilometres (230 miles) north of the capital Bamako.

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A local resident contacted by AFP said there was heavy gunfire and the military “were taken by surprise” in the attack.

“I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in an army vehicle and drive off with it,” he said.

On Saturday a UN peacekeeper was killed and four others wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy passed through central Mali, the latest in continued violence.

The UN mission was established in Mali after radical Islamist militias seized the north of the country in 2012 before being pushed back by French troops in 2013.

A peace agreement signed in 2015 by the Bamako government and armed groups was aimed at restoring stability. But the accord has failed to stop the violence.

The latest attacks come as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita pursued consultations to pick a new prime minister — two days after the previous one, Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga, resigned with his entire cabinet, under fire from the ruling and opposition parties for failing to clamp down on the unrest.</s>At least 18 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack on an army barracks near the border between Mali and Mauritania, local police told EFE on Sunday.

The attack took place in the southwestern town of Guire, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital of Bamako, at around 5 am local time and was carried out by a group of heavily armed attackers who then fled the scene.

"The terrorists came out of the forest. They were on motorcycles and pick-up trucks. They burned vehicles and took away others," a source with the Malian security forces told media outlets.

Among the dead is Capt. Bagayogo, who commanded the military installation. Two people who were wounded were evacuated to the capital due to the severity of their injuries.

The attackers also stole 16 military vehicles, as well as a significant number of weapons, along with ammunition, before fleeing, taking their own wounded with them.

Eyewitnesses in Guire said that the barracks was "completely destroyed" and 10 vehicles had been burned.

One local resident said that the military "were taken by surprise" by heavy gunfire in the attack, adding "I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in an army vehicle and drive off with it."

The Malian army dispatched reinforcements from the nearby base in Nara with an eye toward pursuing the raiding party, but it is thought that they were able to escape into neighboring Mauritania to the north.

Malian military forces have been the target of ongoing attacks by different Malian jihadist groups, including one called Jama'at Nasr al-Islam wal Muslimin (Group to Support Islam and Muslims), which has been incorporated into Al Qaeda.

So far, however, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack.

Earlier on the weekend, one UN peacekeeper - an Egyptian - was killed and four others were wounded when a mine exploded as their convoy was passing through central Mali.

Currently, German army troops are among those deployed in the city of Gao, in northeastern Mali, to carry out duties as part of the United Nations' MINUSMA peacekeeping force, which is carrying out what has proven to be the deadliest active UN mission in the world, with 195 deaths as of the end of March.

The mission was launched in 2013 but has been under constant threat from extremist groups in Mali's huge and largely unpopulated northern desert who have been attempting to move south into more populated areas.

Sunday's attack came as President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita is engaging in consultations and negotiations prior to designating a new prime minister. Earlier this week, the country's former prime minister - Soumeylou Boubeye Maiga - resigned, along with his entire cabinet, after the massacre of some 160 people in Ogossagou.</s>A dozen Malian soldiers have been killed in an attack in the western locality of Guire on Sunday in Guire, local media reported.The Malian army has confirmed the attack but gave no further details.

“The Malian armed forces were attacked today Sunday, April 21, 2019 around 5 am in Guire, in the Nara sector. Reinforcements were dispatched there. The evaluations are in progress”, the army said in a statement.

On Saturday, an antipersonnel landmine exploded in central Mali, killing one and injuring four UN peacekeepers</s>Gunmen attacked a Malian army base in a dawn raid yesterday, killing 12 soldiers and burning the...</s>At least 10 Malian soldiers were killed on Sunday in an attack by alleged jihadists against an army camp in the town of Guiré (centre), near the border with Mauritania, a Malian security source said.

“At least ten soldiers were killed, the terrorists came from the Wagadou forest”, a refuge for Malian Islamists for years, said this security source under cover of anonymity.

“They were on motorcycles and pickup trucks. They attacked the camp, vehicles were burned, others taken away,” according to the same source.

The Malian Armed Forces (FAMa) confirmed the attack on Twitter: “The #FAMa were attacked on Sunday, April 21, 2019 at around 5 a.m. in #Guiré, in the #Nara sector. Reinforcements were sent there. The evaluations are ongoing.

“The shots were like rain. The military was surprised. The jihadists came from the east and south of the military camp. They burned vehicles and left with vehicles. I saw two terrorists put their motorcycles in the army vehicle and drive away with them,” said a local resident contacted by AFP.

According to a Malian military source, reinforcements were dispatched from Nara, 370 km north of Bamako and 105 km from Guiré.

Northern Mali had fallen in March-April 2012 under the control of jihadist groups linked to al-Qaeda. These groups have been largely driven out by an international military intervention, launched in January 2013 at the initiative of France, which continues.

But entire areas of the country are still beyond the control of Malian, French and UN forces, which are regularly targeted by attacks, despite the signing in May-June 2015 of a peace agreement, which is supposed to definitively isolate jihadists, whose implementation is running behind schedule.

Since 2015, these attacks have spread to central and southern Mali and the phenomenon is spreading to neighbouring countries, particularly Burkina Faso and Niger, very often mixing with inter-community conflicts.

An Egyptian peacekeeper was killed and four members of his unit injured on Saturday by a mine explosion as their convoy passed through the centre of the country, near the border with Burkina Faso, according to the UN.</s>At least 18 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack on an army barracks near the border between Mali and Mauritania, local police told EFE on Sunday.

The attack took place in the southwestern town of Guire, about 500 kilometers (310 miles) north of the capital of Bamako, at around 5 am local time and was carried out by a group of heavily armed attackers who then fled the scene.</s>A total of 13 Malian soldiers were killed in an attack against on army barracks on the border between Mali and Mauritania, security forces told Efe.

The onslaught took place in the southwestern town of Guire, north of the capital Bamako, at around 5 am local time and was carried out by a group of heavily armed attackers who then fled the scene.</s>Gunmen have attacked a Malian army base in a dawn raid, killing 11 soldiers and burning the camp in west-central Mali, the army and a local lawmaker say.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. Central Mali has in the past few years been overrun by jihadists with links to al-Qaeda.

The unidentified armed assailants attacked the base in Guire district at 5am local time on Sunday after approaching in a convoy of 11 vehicles, local lawmaker Niame Keita said.

"They burnt the camp and took equipment," he said.

In a statement, the defence ministry confirmed the attack and said 11 soldiers were killed and more were wounded. Keita had earlier said 12 were reported killed.

In March, an al-Qaeda affiliate said it was behind a similar overnight attack on an army base in the central region of Mopti in which 16 soldiers were killed.

Escalating violence led to the resignation last week of the entire Malian government.

The authorities have come under fire for failing to beat back militants and disarm militias, after a massacre of 157 villagers by an ethnic vigilante group shocked the nation in March.

Both Mali and neighbouring Burkina Faso have been hit by the spike in hostilities fuelled by Islamist militants seeking to extend their influence over the Sahel, an arid region between Africa's northern Sahara desert and its southern savannas.</s>Four militants dead after attack on Saudi base

RIYADH: Four men were killed on Sunday as they attacked a Saudi security services base in a town north of Riyadh, pro-government media reported.

The attack targeted state security forces in the town of Zulfi, 260 kilometres (160 miles) north of the capital, London-based Arabic daily Asharq al-Awsat reported. It said the attackers had rammed a vehicle into a security barrier around the base in an attempt to gain entry. Two gunmen then stepped out of the vehicle and opened fire, sparking a gun battle with police.
Suspected jihadist militants attack a Malian military base in the town of Guiré, Koulikoro Region, killing ten soldiers.