<p>Six soldiers were killed and 20 injured in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali Sunday, the army said.</p>.<p>Targets in Sevare, Niono and Bapho were all hit by "armed terrorist groups (who) used suicide vehicles packed with explosives", the Malian army said in a statement.</p>.<p>A group linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa claimed the attacks, according to audio sent to <em>AFP </em>Sunday from a source close to the suspected attackers.</p>.<p>The group, Katiba of Macina, belongs to the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist network in the Sahel.</p>.<p>"On Sunday morning, the mujahideen of the Katiba of Macina struck three camps of the (Malian armed forces)," a member of the group told AFP in an audio message.</p>.<p>The source said Bapho and Niono were hit, in line with information from Mali's army.</p>.<p>It also said Segou was attacked, which was not among the targets mentioned by the Malian army.</p>.<p>"We hit these camps at the same time within five minutes of each other. (Apart from the) deaths, we caused material damage to them," the audio recording said.</p>.<p>Military sources earlier told AFP the attacks occurred at 0500 GMT in Sevare, Niono and Bapho, all in the centre of the country.</p>.<p>In Sevare, "there was a double terrorist attack with shots fired and machinery exploded," one of the sources said.</p>.<p>"The army retaliated. We are not able to provide a toll at the moment," the source added.</p>.<p>"We have asked MINUSMA (the UN Mission in Mali), as part of our collaboration, to send a rapid intervention force near the Sevare camp to help secure it," the source continued.</p>.<p>A separate military source within MINUSMA confirmed the information.</p>.<p>One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.</p>.<p>Public anger at elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to roll back the insurgency provided the spark for a military takeover in August 2020.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>
<p>Six soldiers were killed and 20 injured in simultaneous attacks targeting three army bases in central Mali Sunday, the army said.</p>.<p>Targets in Sevare, Niono and Bapho were all hit by "armed terrorist groups (who) used suicide vehicles packed with explosives", the Malian army said in a statement.</p>.<p>A group linked to the firebrand preacher Amadou Koufa claimed the attacks, according to audio sent to <em>AFP </em>Sunday from a source close to the suspected attackers.</p>.<p>The group, Katiba of Macina, belongs to the Group to Support Islam and Muslims (GSIM), an Al-Qaeda-linked alliance and the biggest jihadist network in the Sahel.</p>.<p>"On Sunday morning, the mujahideen of the Katiba of Macina struck three camps of the (Malian armed forces)," a member of the group told AFP in an audio message.</p>.<p>The source said Bapho and Niono were hit, in line with information from Mali's army.</p>.<p>It also said Segou was attacked, which was not among the targets mentioned by the Malian army.</p>.<p>"We hit these camps at the same time within five minutes of each other. (Apart from the) deaths, we caused material damage to them," the audio recording said.</p>.<p>Military sources earlier told AFP the attacks occurred at 0500 GMT in Sevare, Niono and Bapho, all in the centre of the country.</p>.<p>In Sevare, "there was a double terrorist attack with shots fired and machinery exploded," one of the sources said.</p>.<p>"The army retaliated. We are not able to provide a toll at the moment," the source added.</p>.<p>"We have asked MINUSMA (the UN Mission in Mali), as part of our collaboration, to send a rapid intervention force near the Sevare camp to help secure it," the source continued.</p>.<p>A separate military source within MINUSMA confirmed the information.</p>.<p>One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is struggling with a decade-long jihadist insurgency that has claimed thousands of lives and driven hundreds of thousands from their homes.</p>.<p>Public anger at elected president Ibrahim Boubacar Keita's failure to roll back the insurgency provided the spark for a military takeover in August 2020.</p>.<p><strong>Watch the latest DH Videos here:</strong></p>