25 dead after extremists attack Mali army camps

BAMAKO, Oct 02 (AP): Al-Qaida-linked groups attacked two army bases in central Mali, killing at least 25 people and leaving 60 missing, Mali's government said Tuesday.

Assailants rode into the community of Boulikessi with heavy weaponry overnight Sunday to Monday to attack a Malian battalion of the regional G5 Sahel Force, said a force commander, Niger Gen. Oumarou Namatou Gazama. He blamed "the terrorist group" Ansarul Islam.

Mali's government said that after exchanges of gunfire, the army had retaken Boulikessi, killing at least 15 extremists and destroying five of their vehicles. It said a joint force with Burkina Faso soldiers was pursuing the extremists behind the attacks.

The attack on the camp caused "heavy equipment losses and major damage," Malian government spokesman Yaya Sangare said earlier in a statement.

Around the same time early Monday, armed men attacked another army camp in Mondoro.

A resident there said two civilians were among the casualties. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of fears for his safety.