Al-Qaeda-linked rebels claim to have captured a military base in northern Mali.

Jama'at Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen (JNIM) - an extremist Islamist group linked to the terrorist organization Al-Qaeda, announced that it had captured a military base in northern Mali on November 24.

Phiến quân tuyên bố chiếm căn cứ quân sự ở phía Bắc Mali

Malian soldiers arrive at Independence Square in Bamako. Illustration photo: AFP/TTXVN

The rebel group said it had inflicted heavy losses on the country's military.

However, the Malian army said it had repelled an attack on military bases in the Timbuktu region.

JNIM said on its Al-Zallaqa Foundation media platform that it had taken control of the Niafounke camp on November 24. The claim was confirmed by SITE, an American monitoring group, on November 25.

Dozens of Malian soldiers were killed or wounded in the attack and two were captured, according to a JNIM statement.

Meanwhile, the Malian army said the attacks had been "strongly repelled".

The claims cannot be verified yet as access to the fighting area is difficult and dangerous.

Since 2012, Mali has been plunged into chaos, in particular, military clashes have increased in the north of the country, after the recent withdrawal of UN forces at the request of the ruling government, leading to fierce fighting between the Malian army and extremist Islamic and separatist forces for control of the region.

Kidal has long been a center of unrest and a launching point for the separatist insurgencies that have rocked Mali since independence. The Malian army suffered defeats in the area from 2012 to 2014.

Meanwhile, the Supporters of Islam and Followers of Islam (GSIM) militant group, which is linked to the Al-Qaeda terrorist network, has also increased its attacks on military positions. Many military experts fear that conflicts between armed groups and the Malian army, and between armed groups themselves, will flare up in the absence of UN troops.

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