Turkey condemns terrorist attack in Mali

ANKARA/JOHANNESBURG

Malian soldiers patrol in the village of Kadji, March 1, 2013. (REUTERS File Photo)

Turkey on Jan. 27 condemned a terrorist attack in Mali that killed at least 20 soldiers.

“We are saddened to receive the news that many soldiers lost their lives and injured in a terrorist attack on the Sokolo military camp in the Segou region of Mali,” Turkey's Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“We condemn this attack. We extend our sincere condolences to the brotherly people and Government of Mali as well as to the families and relatives of those who lost their lives and speedy recovery to the injured,” the statement added.

At least 20 Malian soldiers were killed during a pre-dawn assault on Jan. 26 when armed men, suspected to be militants, attacked an
army base in Sokolo, near the border with Mauritania, the army said in a statement.

''The provisional assessment of this cowardly attack is about twenty dead and several wounded,” it said, adding that the the assault caused significant material damage.

The military further said it sent reinforcement to the scene and was in process of dispatching helicopters to track down the suspected militants.

''The government of Mali strongly condemns this attack," the statement said.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack so far, but Mali, like its neighbors in the Sahel region, is home to many terrorist groups, including al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM) and ISIL.

On Christmas day, President of Burkina Faso Roch Marc Christian Kabore declared 48 hours of national mourning after militants killed at least 35 civilians and seven soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks in the West African country.