MALI: Al-Qaeda claims responsibility for roadside blast that killed two French soldiers

The Mali branch of terrorist group, Al-Qaeda has claimed responsibility for a deadly roadside blast on Saturday that killed two French soldiers in the eastern Menaka region.

The Al-Qaeda branch known as Jamaat Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM), made the claim on Tuesday in a message shared by the group’s supporters on the messaging app Telegram.

The two French soldiers who were in Menaka collecting intelligence, according to the French presidency, died in Mali when their armoured vehicle was hit by an improvised explosive device.

READ ALSO: ECOWAS to meet on Mali crisis Thursday

The development came as the death toll arising from a deadly attack on two villages in Mali by heavily armed militants which witnessed the killing of 49 people and the injuring 17 other victims increased to 100.

This was confirmed in a statement issued on Sunday by the government which stated that 100 people are now known to have been killed in Saturday’s attacks by suspected jihadists on two villages.

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