The Malian army has announced the death of 14 of its soldiers in two raids in central Mali for which the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM) has claimed responsibility.On January 10, an army patrol was the target of two deadly attacks on the Tenenkou-Macina axis in the central Mopti region. 

The first raid, which took place on the stretch between Dia and Diafarabé, was carried out using an improvised explosive device (IED) which a military vehicle drove over. 

The second attack occurred on the Koumara-Macina axis. 

In this case, the jihadists used at least three improvised explosive devices (IEDs) before engaging in a skirmish with the military.

 The death toll according to the Malian army headquarters is 14 soldiers killed, 11 wounded and 1 vehicle destroyed. 

It indicated that the jihadists lost 31 of their own while a wounded person was recovered from the scene. 

However, the army did not mention material damage.

 Claiming responsibility for the attacks, GSIM – or Jamaat Nosrat al-Islam wal-Muslimine which is affiliated to Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM), said it had killed 12 soldiers, including five remains attributed to Wagner mercenaries.

 In a recording of just over two minutes, authenticated by several specialised sources, the group exposes the booty recovered after the fighting, namely two military vehicles, one of which is equipped with a 14.5 machine gun, 4 Kalashnikovs, a PKM machine gun, numerous boxes of ammunition, etc. 

Also, the voice in the video claimed the destruction of two military vehicles stating that the assailants had lost five of their own.

Since the beginning of the year, the GSIM has been launching raids in central Mali while expanding its field of action towards the west, but not without acting on its ambition to besiege Bamako.