The Malian military launched a counterattack after an ambush on an army convoy killed more than 50 soldiers in the volatile Gao region on Saturday morning.
The armed groups attacked a convoy travelling from Anefis toward Gao, the military said in a statement. Both the regional al-Qaeda affiliate Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin and the separatist Azawad Liberation Front claimed responsibility for the assault. The FLA released images purportedly showing dozens of captured Malian soldiers held as prisoners of war, while a local official said at least 24 troops were taken.
The ambush comes shortly after Malian forces, backed by Russian allies, retook Anefis on July 10 in an operation that killed roughly 30 soldiers and wounded 60 others.