International Desk : At least 64 people have been killed after the attacks by suspected jihadists on an army base and a passenger boat on the Niger river in northern Mali, the official said.

Read more : Russian FM Lavrov in Dhaka

According to a government statement the two separate attacks on Thursday targeted the Timbuktu boat on the river and an army position at Bamba, in the northern Gao region, with “a provisional toll of 49 civilians and 15 soldiers killed.

It did not specify how many died in each assault, but the assaults were “claimed” by a group affiliated with al-Qaida. Earlier, the Malian army said on social media that the boat was attacked by “armed terrorist groups.

Read more : 20 dengue patients die

The vessel, plying an established route between cities along the river, was targeted by “at least three rockets” that aimed at its engines, the operator Comanav said separately.

The Niger is a vital transport link in a region where road infrastructure is poor and railways absent.

Read more : Three killed in pickup-auto clash

The attack comes after an al-Qaida-linked alliance, the Support Group for Islam and Muslims (GSIM), announced last month that it was blockading Timbuktu, the historic crossroads city of northern Mali.

Sun News/MR

people killed attacks Niger Mali army

Copyright © Sunnews24x7

Tweet

10 killed in helicopter crash

14 killed in bus-pickup collision

No threat of terrorist attack

31 killed in Mali bus accident