Officials also said that the death toll remained provisional as the process of identification was still going on. Meanwhile Malian Army also undertook a combing operation on the ground with support from international forces including U.N. peacekeepers.
The attack follows after the jihadist raids in late September that underscored the increasing reach and sophistication of armed groups operating in the region.
Thirty-eight Malian soldiers were killed on Sept. 30 in coordinated attacks on two army bases in central Mali which slipped from government control despite the presence of the French army and other international forces.
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